


Savor - A Valentine's Tribute

by Shinashi



Category: Ai no Kusabi
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Contemporary AU, Drunken Flirting, Eventually Resolved Sexual Tension, Flirting, M/M, Mild S&M, OOC I guess, Random Unimportant OCs, Unresolved Sexual Tension, attempted comedy, etc. - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-10-29 21:15:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 95,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17815655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinashi/pseuds/Shinashi
Summary: Iason Mink, tall, blonde, handsome, rich, and irrepressibly single, is tricked into a gathering that might help him on the path to resolve... all that.Riki, short, dark, sexy, rich in spirit, and irresistible, is tricked into a gathering that might lead him to help with... the above.Neither of them knows when to stop, and so both press GO for seven days straight (okay, maybe not straight) to see where life takes them.Done!





	1. Signature

**Author's Note:**

> So I bought a bunch of chocolates on Valentine's and saw quite a few Valentine's Day prompts. Next thing I know, I'm up for *checks time* 30 hours straight and done with the first day, and an entire box of chocolates. I tried to keep it short and sweet and sexy, but my brain, even after so long, just couldn't stop. 
> 
> So enjoy yet another variation of Iason and Riki's first meeting, absent all the depressing, and more with the everything else.

Iason Mink wasn’t the type of man that needed someone to get through the day nor has he ever fantasized about dating, settling down, and having children. Granted, most young men his age didn’t want any of… that… anytime soon, but the future seemed determined and certain, and not including lovers.

Still, every Valentine’s Day he had a date. As far as he could remember, and of course even before then. Looking through his baby pictures had him paired as an infant with his cousin, another cousin, and the child next door (the neighbors there had their prized sapphire heirloom stolen by an au pair).

It wasn’t only because he came from money and born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Literally. Although now Iason couldn’t face the photo of him three days old with a pure silver spoon in his mouth, he had no misconceptions that he indeed was what people talking about when they talked about the rich.

Fortunately he was handsome, charming, and had a group of friends who, for the most part, were equally handsome and charming, which made his presence like some holy aura pulling in all that was great and beautiful.

At least, that was what his last Valentine’s Day date had said, and now she had a real boyfriend for whom she thought of as her entire world.

See. That was the problem. He could have someone, and none of them ever wanted to stay.

Not like he wanted them to.

But _none_ of them wanted him as a boyfriend? Just that one-night-stand? Or one-week, sometimes.

Not like he wanted them to.

Twenty years?

Not like he didn’t have other friends outside of The Thirteen, which people throughout their lives referred to them as. Less charitable people called them the Blondies, although their hair weren’t all pure blond. Crème de la crème that they were, they still had friends. Could Iason name them? Sure. Eventually. Why?

With that sort of reputation, none of them had girlfriends (or boyfriends) or, to be honest, friends as they were friends, as if they had formed some elite circle which no one could encroach upon, no matter how hard any of them tried. They had entered their sophomore year of college and its responsibilities such as the Business Honor Society, and its accompanying fraternity Alpha Alpha Alpha.

So, a week before Valentine’s Day, Iason still found himself without a date. In fact, the only one who had found himself a date was Gideon Lagat. An emphasis on ‘had found’. The man just yesterday complained that Gideon was too ‘high-maintenance’, conveniently after having sex for the second time. This morning, they had seen the exact same man with another tall, handsome, _ahem_ , dumb blond.

So here they were, Orphe Zavi, Raoul Am, Iason dressed way too well for the club they were in. Gideon lamented upon the sight of them.

“I said it was super casual! I can understand Orphe and Raoul, but why you, Iason?”

“This is my casual,” was the smooth reply.

In truth, he didn’t know exactly how casual the club was going to be until he saw that one, there was no line, two, there was no VIP, and three, there was a distinct lack of blond in the club. Lot of dark hair and dark skin. If he tried to dress as casual as the environment required, he would still stick out like a six-foot-plus blonde man surrounded by twelve similarly dressed men. At least, no one he knew would know him from the university.

Until he saw Triple O fraternity members, and then jerseys with the Red Storm on them, and the woman he went out with on Valentine’s Day last year. Oh, good, she was leaving.

If he moved quickly enough, he could also escape- exit. He could exit.

Orphe matched his gaze and said to Gilbert Domina, “Isn’t that the woman Iason took out last year?”

He knew he was being baited. He knew it, but the thought of leaving just as they noticed something off just felt wrong to his soul, or pride, one of them.

So that’s how they were, finding a corner that was being ‘held’ for them by junior members of Triple A, and quickly joined by more senior members. Both sets of men offered him drinks and seats of dubious natures, all which he denied good-naturedly, although there was no denying the seats. With drinks however, if he caved in to one sycophant, they’ll overwhelm him. He learned that lesson way back in elementary school, after he asked his mom to buy all the kids the ‘good crayons’, which she did, after he promised to take piano lessons for a year. A few days full of yoyos and some PTA meetings later and next thing he knew, he was being moved to a different classroom, with the teacher asking secretly to not give out presents.

He and his friends had always tried to avoid clubs like these, clubs obviously beneath Triple A’s sense of entitlement, because it was so obvious that they were a bunch of trust fund kids observing the plebeians.

Not to mention this was obviously Triple O’s spot.

Omega Omega Omega wasn’t officially a fraternity at the university (or anywhere). Materializing out of nowhere that school year, they were a group of students who couldn’t get into the fraternities on campus for various reasons that all involved money. Triple A’s upfront club fee, just to participate in the hazing- training. To participate in training the upfront club fee was $5000. Of course, there was a chance Triple A wouldn’t accept a person, so would-be members paid the hazing- training fee for multiple fraternities. Then there was the drafting where each fraternity chose who they wanted.

Of course, with a nice little donation to the school, and a double legacy going back two generations, one could avoid all that and skip right to the drafting into a fraternity of their choice.

Triple O’s only rule was that members could not be members of a fraternity or sorority, unless related to academics. So if, for instance, Raoul had only joined the Science Honor Society (and fraternity), he was also welcome to Triple O.

Triple O had the sports scholarships, the merit scholarships, the locals, the foreign exchange students who weren’t loaded, and many others.

Although from many different backgrounds, they looked like they were having fun. Singing along to every song, rapping as quickly as the artist, dancing the exact same dance at the exact same time, Iason almost envied them. No, he definitely did, especially as the fifth person offered to get him a beer- a _beer_. Then, he saw Gideon’s ex, some handsome guy who was vice-president of the Student Government Association. An honorary member of Triple A, he was as straight as a circle and went to church twice a week to pray the gay away. Every now and again, when Gideon was feeling sorry for himself, he accepted an invite.

“That’s why we’re here,” Raoul said snidely, tipping his head towards the unhappy couple. “He wants to get with that straight guy. Again.”

“There’s no way he’s straight.”

Raoul rolled his eyes at the old argument. “He was being experimental. Everyone does it in college.”

“Except you.”

“Or you,” Raoul shot back.

The two smiled, trying to find some sense of normality and fun from the situation, even as their group broke apart to the usual groups of twos and threes.

“Look. They are about to play pool.”

It was as if everyone decided to stop standing around at the too-tall tables with no seats to move to the side full of pool tables. Money was being pulled out and smacked on green felts, and there was good-natured fighting over some of the pool sticks- apparently, they weren’t all up to par, and some were extremely ‘lucky’.

“Iason!” Sean-something-or-rather, president of Triple A. For now. “Orphe, Orphe, he, uh, man, I love this song.” Already drunk. “Orphe says you’re the best pool player in town.”

They lived in a city, not a town, but Iason didn’t bother correcting as he was too busy glaring daggers at Orphe’s mischievous grin. Orphe, Gilbert Domina, and Marcus Jayd were the members of their thirteen that quite enjoyed all the trimmings, accepted gifts of any type, and would most likely pay some beautiful women to have a triple date with on Valentine’s Day. Orphe didn’t really like Iason, but quite enjoyed Raoul’s company, while Gilbert and Marcus found Raoul boring, but Iason enticing. Still, the three would team up to make things difficult for them if they were in the mood.

Sharing those pints put them in the mood.

Before Iason could refuse, Sean-something-or-rather was pulling him to the pool tables and into the shark-infested waters of people who would rather slice their tires of their very expensive cars rather than play pool.

“Look, y’all dumb fucks, I’ll pay each of you a hundred bucks if any of you can beat this guy in a game.”

“A great way to break the ice,” Iason muttered wryly.

“And for the person who, who, who beats him, for him, or her, no, not her, no girls, for him, he gets a thousand bucks. A girl gets my number.”

“Oh, yea, that’s what I want!” cheered a short lady with cotton-candy purple hair, her group of lady friends erupting into laughter.

Not noticing the sarcasm in the least, Sean continued mumbling, pulling out his wallet and counting out the bills. The other students’ eyes went large as they saw that the drunken idiot was serious. Iason was sure they would start arguing over who plays, and Iason would pretend that that person had a chance. Between driving, pool, and playing the piano, he couldn’t think of anyone better than himself.

But the others did not start arguing. Instead, they massed together around phones, checking various social media, until someone rang out, “I got him on the phone!” Everyone turned to this hero as he relayed the facts- that some Triple Asshole was betting big money on a game of pool. Then with a triumphant, “Fuck yea!” he said to the rest, “Prez is coming! They all are!”

“Do you guys seriously have a ‘president’ for your ‘fraternity’?” Gilbert had made his way to the tables, complete with putting air quotes derisively around his words. “That’s pretty sad.”

“What’s sad is them shoes!”

Triple O burst with laughter, pointing at Gilbert’s red leather shoes. They were pointed at the tip, handmade from somewhere in Europe.

“I bet he has his name on ‘em!”

That was true. His name was on the sole. Gilbert couldn’t quite keep the embarrassment from his face as no one, including him, was friendly enough (or clever enough) to make a comeback. So of course, Iason had to step in:

“Do not worry about them. Your shoes are worth more than their cars.” Iason swept his blue eyes over their increasingly irritated faces. “If any of them had one. From the looks of things, they took the bus to a club.”

Iason knew damn well they took a bus to the club. Unlike certain other students with more money, they couldn’t rent a driver every weekend, or even get a cab to drive their drunken selves home.

“Oh, you think you’re better than us.” Some brave soul.

“I don’t think I am. I know that I have certain advantages over you.”

“Like money?”

“And pool apparently. Have to get big brother to do your games for you.”

“You playin’ for him!”

“He’s paying me. Are you paying your big brother?”

“He ain’t my brother!” There was actually some red coming to that dark face, and Iason was only too glad to get a rise in such away.

Iason shrugged. “Your daddy, I suppose?”

After the choked bits of giggles from everyone in attendance, Iason knew he had cemented his presence.

Grabbing a beer and flicking a rude finger his way, the man muttered, “Fuck you, you ain’t worth it.”

“Yes, sit down and drink your bottle until daddy comes to the rescue.”

That seemed to be taking it too far, as a dedicated group of friends grabbed hold of the man’s muscular arms and stopped him from going across that line. Other, not so much as friends goaded him, “Goddamn, you gonna let him talk to you like that?” and “Are you scared? Fuckin’ knock him out!” and “He ain’t shit! Clock-clock!”. But those of them with more sense and less drink won out in the end.

There were hard hits to his back, and much to Iason’s chagrin, he noticed that there was a row of Triple A and Triple O bearing down on each other like a couple of rival gangs. That’s what he gets for escalating the conversation.

Well, this was much more interesting than enduring his fellow brothers as they became more and more inebriated. Still, Iason had to get in the middle of the people he just insulted to get to the pool sticks, and he expected for someone to be silly and hide a good one or something, but none of them did. In fact, he was handed a pole that was obviously on the newer, more expensive end.

Iason was started to think that the high-maintenance people he regularly congregated with were made of a different sort. Something stupid and immature is what he would expect from Sean and one of his goons.

Right on cue, just as he was shown to the best pool table, Sean whispered into his ear, “I got a bunch of girls coming. Way more girls than they have!”

Then it’ll be obvious that they invited a whole bunch of random women. Iason felt entirely that he should have escaped- exited. Exited when he still had the chance. He might as well have a drink or four if he was going to be embarrassed in front of a bunch of strangers anyway.

If he got something like a martini in front of everyone… Perhaps he should bite the bullet and get a beer… A disgusting, bitter, smelly beer with the alcohol content of literal wheat.

“You can always back down,” Raoul said finally.

“Back down?”

With a sigh, his friend amended, “You can always _refuse_. You don’t owe anyone here a show. We should leave before Sean pukes on one of us.”

It was one of their thirteen, Haynes Salas, to come between them, demanding, “Don’t you dare! This is the first time we’ve been able to prove our worth to Triple A and put these wannabes out on their asses!”

Haynes Salas, Griffith Wallace, and Zeke Bell all legitimately enjoyed the frat life, although none of them had the finesse or confidence of the aforementioned members, often trying to make real friends and finding out that having so much money hindered that process. A lot. Being friends with people who acted like they were above meaningless relationships helped matters none.

Aisha Rosen appeared, “Ruphias and Leon and I are leaving. Wait. What’s going on?”

“Always last to the starting line,” Haynes muttered. “Iason is going to play pool against some nobody.”

Aisha’s grey eyes narrowed, a sign of interest. “Why?”

“Sean placed a bet. He’s going to pay all these people a hundred bucks if they have someone who can beat him.”

Orphe added, “And when that person beats him, they’ll get a thousand dollars.”

“You don’t think he’ll win, Orphe?” Hubert Boma asked, as usual flanked by Leon Clare and Gideon, who looked even more crestfallen than before, which made this whole outing absolutely pointless. Between the three, half a brain could be made. It’s not that they were dumb. It’s just that they had more pressing matters to attend to: girlfriends, boyfriends, clothes, what brand of shampoo to use. That sort of thing. Not to mention they were comparably gentle and _nice_ , but unfortunately prone to loneliness and horrid, soul-sucking ‘friends’.

Now that they were all at his back, Iason definitely couldn’t back down, or order a martini.

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll be able to beat this random stranger for the likes of Sean Matthews and his lovely crew.”

“Yea, he will!” came Sean’s shout. “Eee-son’s the best.”

“I-ah-son,” corrected Iason half-heartedly.

“Your legs are free. Your arms are free,” Raoul tried. “The door is literally open.”

Ignoring this offer, Iason looked around. Where was this mystical contender? Were there more people than before? A lot more people? Then the women arrived, accompanied by Triple A’s boisterous hollering and whistling. They crowded the women and simply pulled them to their sides like food from a buffet. This, unfortunately, didn’t go unnoticed by the other members of the club, and now there was a good chunk of them taking pictures and laughing and _god, he did have legs and arms! Escape!_

Just as these thoughts rose to the surface, the music stopped and there were genuine, heartfelt cheers of excitement, coming from the doors. The pool side literally emptied as those that stood there rushed to be one of the first ones to give or get more detail and gossip.

Iason saw them, but it was Gideon to whisper first, out of range of anybody who wouldn’t quite like his words, “Oh, my, god, he’s hot. He’s so hot.”

As short as most of the girls there, the even more dark-skinned, dark-haired man boasted a vibrant red outfit, complete with a heart-shaped pattern made of tiny flowers. Obviously closer members of his crew were set up in a similar theme of colors, as if Valentine’s Day was today instead of in a week. On anyone else, they would be the world’s tackiest clubmen, but they drew in the confident energy of their small leader, letting it all go effortlessly.

He went down the club as if it was the red carpet, kissing the cheek of every lady who offered up their face, and, then, inexplicably, also to any man. For others, he completed some complicated handshake or simple hugs, high fives here, some weird synchronized dances there, and exchanging phone numbers with those that apparently hadn’t gotten the chance to get it.

Iason noticed the DJ coming down to give him a hug, and a bartender procrastinating with a tray of drinks, a round of beers and what looked to be a green apple martini, near the pool tables, obviously waiting just until the group arrived before making the delivery.

One of the red-clad members was carrying a large trophy and another had an enormous bar of chocolate, while the long-haired man just to the right of the leader carried a heavy-looking case. Club staff was pulling two tables together to take on the candy like a cake, complete with cutlery and plates. At the leader’s gesture, people were eating this hard-won gift. Finally, they were close enough for Iason to read the trophy: Best Dressed. No wonder this beloved character wasn’t among his fans; he was winning some contest.

Was he a celebrity?

“You’re even MORE determined,” Raoul said resignedly, patting Iason’s shoulder. “I’m getting a beer. You want anything?”

“Yes. Whatever that is on that tray.” Iason pointed at the bartender still biding her time.

“Alright…”

“Hurry! Before he-”

It was too late. The crowd had made its way back to the pool tables and the bartender was receiving her kiss and a number, and the leader was picking up his martini and taking a sip, before, in a gentlemanly sort of way, removing the tops of the beers and passing them on.

Sean was pushing (more like leaning on) two beautiful women right to him. If Iason knew entitled brats like Sean, he knew that all this attention diverted from him will not go unpunished. The best way to punish was to show off his wealth and class like only the conspicuously opulent could do. Suddenly he was wearing his expensive school rings and a golden cross with a savior made of pearl.

“I thought a man was gonna be here.” Looks like he sobered up a little. “But instead it’s some fucking pretty-boy homo.”

There was no instigating from the peanut gallery, which was prosperous before the men in red arrived. Suddenly, they were better than that.

The dark man finished handing out the beers to say in a rather nonchalant tone, “If yo’ compensating ass don’t take several seats. I ain’t a homosexual.” With a toothy grin, he added, “I’m a bisexual. Don’t be mad that I can have double the dates while you get none.”

“Do you have any idea who I am? I’m the real president. I can have any damn woman I want.” Sean clutched the women at his sides closer. “Not like a _fag_ like you would understand.”

“Oh, Christ,” muttered Orphe, finding the crude language far more beneath them. With that, he and Iason were in agreement. It was one thing to be holier-than-thou, but to be pretentiously ugly did no one any good.

However, this didn’t seem to faze the man in the least. With a lifted eyebrow, he asked, “Those two are Krystal and Shannon, right? They cost a grand each an hour, but I’m sure you paid, what, three?”

Krystal or Shannon, with a laugh, protested, “Don’t be tellin’ them our secrets, Riki!”

“’Ay, I gotta lay it straight,” Riki confessed, getting very much into Sean’s personal space with a step forward. Talking straight to the women as if Sean wasn’t even there, he asked, “Hey, tell my cuz to visit grandma. I love my gran, but I can’t be the only grandkid she talks to. I can’t take the stress, baby, I can’t.”

Shannon or Krystal answered, “Why don’t you come visit us again and tell her yourself?”

“I can’t take the stress of all you fine ladies.”

“That’s not what you said last time! You said you could sip us like fine wine all night.”

“Last time I made the mistake of coming alone.”

“You didn’t come alone at all,” was the heady answer.

Sean broke into the flirting, “I bought y’all for six hours! Why are you over there?!”

Iason had to blink a couple times to realize what he was talking about, seeing that Krystal and Shannon were now in Riki’s arms, and a better portion of the hired women were inching closer.

“Get back over here, or I’ll demand a refund, and I’ll make sure to get the two of you fired!”

Riki joked gaily (as the women returned), “This won’t be the first time someone tried to fire a woman because she came for me.”

“Won’t be the first time because they chose your company either,” came the naughty retort of another of the red-clad mates, a rather pretty man as well, but in a more reserved way that slid into the senses with a light touch.

“But, real talk, is you my opponent? Like, I don’t take no bets with drunk people, no matter how much money is on the line.”

The first thought that came to Iason’s mind as someone corrected Riki’s gaze was the fact that he was dressed like a fool among drunken fools and no one but fools were cheering him on to do this foolish thing.

Those thoughts evaporated as Riki gave him a good look over and _grinned_.

“Name’s Riki.”

“Iason Mink.”

“I heard you said some things to my friend over there, Iason, but you just got that prickly nature about you.” Riki roamed to his side. “You got class. I bet you too good for your prez over there, ain’t you.” He went to his back, continuing to taunt, “Hell, your shoes are prolly more expensive than his car too. He’s the type of guy to get a car on his birthday. You got it for yo’ driver’s license.” To his other side. “Damn, maybe your permit.” And he returned in front of him, just in time to see his reddened cheeks. “Too good for all of this. So if you’re playing just to spend his money, then I don’t wanna play.”

Taken completely unawares, Iason asked, “Will you miss out on getting you and your friends some money?”

Riki shrugged, and although the members of his crowd were disappointed, no one said anything untoward. “It’s money. But I ain’t no chess piece to be used between a couple of rich guys.”

“Then take relief in knowing that I legitimately want to play against you.” There he was, picking up his pride from the embers- how could he possibly know that he got a car for his permit, and then his license, then for his eighteenth birthday….

“Why?”

Why was he making this difficult? What got his hackles all raised against him? He didn’t seem that irritated with Sean.

“Why? When Sean offered his bet, an entire group of people sought you out from your business. I don’t believe anyone else could be close in matching my talent.”

“No need to butter me up, now.”

“I’m not buttering you up,” Iason spoke almost between grinding teeth.

Then Raoul arrived with his martini. Iason barely refrained from rendering him unconscious.

Riki’s dark eyes laid upon Iason’s drink. Another grin. He picked up his matching own, saying, “Well, if you feel that way, how about we add more to the bet. Something that the both of us will lose. Not Sean’s money because that don’t matter. Something between you and me.”

“Such as?” Iason asked. He felt a sharp stab of fingers in his side: Raoul’s flabbergasted panic almost saying in Morse Code, stop while he was ahead. There was no reason to accept a riskier bet. No reason to do anything at all. Don’t let pride get in the way of common sense!

Riki flicked his eyes to Raoul, as if he knew what was happening, before saying slowly, “You know what, I don’t really know who you are. We can have just a friendly game with your friend’s money on the line.”

Iason answered flatly, “No. What should we add to the bet?” He jabbed an elbow backwards to get Raoul’s fingers to stop before he bore a hole into his side.

“How about… Let’s keep it simple. The winner can ask anything of the loser.”

“That’s fine.”

Eyebrows raised in actual surprise, Riki clinked his martini against his own before swallowing it down. He then turned to his friend holding the plastic case, starting to open it.

“Raoul. Are you trying to rupture my kidney? Stop it.” Iason downed his martini- it was actually quite nice, crisp, not too sweet, and half alcohol.

“You know, if your mother hadn’t begged me to look after you, I wouldn’t have to resort to bodily harm to get you to do sensible things.”

“You don’t think he’ll win, Raoul?” Hubert asked the familiar question, murmuring, “Did I already ask that?”

Raoul answered nonetheless, “This isn’t about winning or losing, but by doing unnecessary things for unnecessary reasons.”

“This seems like fun. Aren’t you having fun?”

“No.”

“Are you ready to leave?” Hubert seemed to be fishing for the source of Raoul’s consternation, with little success.

“I was ready to leave before I got here!”

“Oh, his pool stick looks cool!” There went Hubert’s short attention span.

Riki corrected gently, “We call ‘em cues, baby.” How come he was so gently and _baby_ with Hubert?! How come Riki knew exactly how he wanted to treat people just by looking at them? “But same difference.” As Riki proved further and further an enigma, Iason nearly missed the workmanship of the cue stick; it was black and brown and very, very, very expensive. Iason knew because he recognized the brand and the wrap at the end. That brand only made that wrap for custom cues. That brand only made custom cues to winners of certain tournaments.

Riki’s name was on that damn stick.

This was much more than who was good at billiards. Riki had to be a pro.

Iason was not. He was good, yes. For an amateur. Hell, for a person who played pool.

Iason realized with increasing dread (and an impressively impassive face) that no one seemed to quite grasp the gap in their abilities. He felt the claps on his back and the confident words of encouragement. “Kick his ass,” was the refrain and Iason wished this was an actual physical fight instead of a pool game. He would have a chance.

Then Riki took off his coat to reveal a red vest coat over a polo shirt barely able to hold his muscles down.

So maybe not a physical fight. Maybe a race?

“Where’s ya cue?” Riki asked.

Without missing a beat, Iason answered, “I’ll be using the club’s product.” He raised said product for effect, wondering to himself why he said ‘product’ instead of something more normal.

Then, something changed with Riki. He shared a look with his long-haired friend. Through this silent gaze, Riki went back to his case and, almost clandestine, switched his cues. The friend shrugged, and Riki answered in another shrug and absolutely no one seemed to notice but them and Iason.

Iason knew exactly then Riki wasn’t going to play all out against him. He was still probably going to kick his ass from here to Sunday, but it won’t be so much of an ass-kicking that he won’t be able to sit the next day.

Well, he shall play with dignity and lose with dignity. 

As if by habit, Riki took out a diamond-shaped wooden thing that Iason was sure was a rack to get the balls straight, but he didn’t put any balls in the thing. Instead he set up two cue balls on either side of the table, equidistant from each other and the closest sides of the table.

“You have a preference? Right or left?”

“Hm?”

“Lag?”

Iason raced through all the definitions he knew for lag and found not a single one geared for pool.

Hubert asked helpfully, “What’s lag?”

The long-haired man was just about to answer, apparently used to clearing up the ins and outs of playing pool, before Riki stopped him with, “It’s alright, Guy. We’ll just get on with racking and breaking. Which one you wanna do?”

Iason could guess what racking and breaking was, but he had not the slightest damn clue on why one may be more advantageous than the other. Usually someone just started hitting balls, right? Plus, Riki was holding the diamond-shaped rack which Iason had no clue how to set, and he also had no clue how to break or to play a game that was obviously going to require only, what, nine balls?

“Why do you have that thing with you?” Raoul asked, pointedly not looking in Iason’s direction. If Iason hadn’t had his crew with him, where would he be? Other than wishing he was dead?

Riki answered automatically, “Nine-ball.”

“Which is?”

Iason almost heard Riki sigh, and he again went into his magic case to pull out the regular triangular rack that everyone was used to. He threw it at Iason who managed to catch it by merciful reflex.

“Rack up.”

While Iason ‘racked up’, and thus went through all the rules he knew about putting the balls in the right way and ended up being safe with numeric order, Riki talked to the bartender. At the last moment, Iason realized that he had to put the rack in a certain position, but upon being put on the spot, he couldn’t remember which row of dots the rack should be lined up with.

Until Guy pointed at a spot. He was looking at the other side of the table, glanced at him quickly, and tapped.

Iason lined up accordingly, hoping his humiliation wasn’t readily apparent on his face.

He heard Guy snicker, head all the way down to his chest.

When done, Riki was handing him some fruity drink in a bottle, something Ice or other, green apple flavor. Already open, Iason took the drink gratefully and swallowed a couple of gulps to quench a thirst he wasn’t aware he was suffering from.

“Yea, enjoy your bottle while Daddy plays.”

Damn it. That was perfection.

The only people that didn’t seem to agree was his outward self and Raoul, who badly kept a grin from his face. Even Sean was laughing. What the hell was he laughing for?

Iason let a small smile grace his face, still drinking the drink, shrugging his shoulders as if the words didn’t reverberate throughout his skull with indignation. As if he wasn’t trying to find an adequate retort and was unable to because, damn it, that was good and everyone knew it and if he did say anything, even if it was good, all anyone would see his answer as is some lame grasp at a comeback just for attention.

The break commanded his attention, as five balls sank into the holes. As more were stripes than solids, Riki went for the nine ball next, bouncing the cue ball off a side and sinking it easily as it tapped a solid. He did somewhat of the same move, hitting his own ball and hitting one of Iason’s.

The blond wondered if this was some sort of taunt among pro players.

Someone asked from the side, “You’re not calling pockets?”

Deftly, Riki said, “Nah, I don’t want to be here all night. I got places to be.”

Just as he said this, his cue hit the ball at a weird angle, shooting it off to the side and hitting his own, but not sinking it. To Iason, it was obvious he had done it on purpose with a straight back, impeccable form of his fingers, and a sure shot with his cue, but his fans let out the usual array of disappointed sounds.

Iason eyed the table, noticing with a start that there were several balls that were simply easy pickings, and they were all the balls that Riki had hit indirectly in his turn.

So Iason aimed for another one, any of the other ones. Literally any of them. He saw a plan of attack, one that had to rest on Riki’s setup because he literally had no choice. It all started with a rather show-off move of swerving his ball. If he missed, it’ll still look cool. So he straightened up his stick- cue. He straightened the cue up and hit the ball, hard, from the side.

Fortunately, he did it correctly. It went around a striped ball and pocketed his own.

Riki whistled. “A damn perfect massé!”

A perfect what now?

Now he was lined up to his own ball unimpeded, which he sank, and then another, and then another, and then he got real damn lucky with another as it hit the side and decided to go down by the grace of the angels.

“Oh, Blondie is good!”

No, he wasn’t. He was fortunate this perfect stranger took pity on him. He was going to get the biggest earful from Raoul after all this.

If anyone was paying any real attention, they would have noticed Riki’s smooth, confident pockets within moments of eying the table- wasn’t there a time limit in professional leagues? Then, there was the slightest delay as he missed on purpose. Did no one else see this? Really?

Again, the road was paved before him, except for a ball dangerously close to the eight ball. Which he aimed for, of course. However, he hit the cue ball much too softly in his cautiousness, only barely tapping the intended ball.

“Almost,” Riki voiced good-naturedly.

“What the hell, Eee-son, you suck!” Sean complained loudly.

Iason wondered how much money his bail would be if he jammed his cue into Sean’s eye socket.

Riki hit him across the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, baby.”

Now, he was baby. Was that progression or regression?

As Riki hit a stripe in, but also with the cue ball, Iason deemed it regression. He also deemed that Riki had no plans at all of winning. Unless Riki believed he sucked so much that the current map of his success was all but invisible to him, Riki wanted Iason to win. Possibly, he determined it was better to assuage the egos of his one-time competitors than to win and deal with them. Indeed, Iason would have made the same decision if he was called late at night to play a no-contest game that he excelled in.

However, being on the receiving end _sucked_.

So he hit all the balls laid out so neatly for him. Until it was just one more solid, the eight ball, and his cue. Instead of very simply sinking in his last ball, he aimed for the black and let it sink in.

As the drunken members of Triple A (other than the Blondies) began a general hoopla of derogatory noises- with Sean straight out cursing him in his face- Riki said over them all, “Nuh-uh! Take that ball out and hit it right!” Riki didn’t wait, reaching down into the pocket for the ball and slamming it right where it was. “You did that shit on purpose. I don’t need you going easy on me!”

Iason’s resolve finally broke at this blatant hypocrisy: “You cannot be serious. After you dumbed down this game for my sake? You think I wouldn’t notice you laying the groundwork for my supposed victory by making those shots? You could have easily sent them spiraling out of control, but you didn’t! You could have won this long ago!”

“Well if you knew I was going easy on ya, why the hell are you still playing?!”

“I fully intended to lose against someone who is obviously much better than me! That is what you deserved!” Feeling the air already tensing with curious alarm, Iason added, “I don’t deserve to win! I don’t know what lag is! I don’t know how to play the game with nine balls! I don’t know if it’s better to rack or break! What the fuck is a massé?!”

Calm down. He was cool. Like ice. Ice cold. He placed his pool stick on the table, taking a deep breath among the unbearably awkward silence.

“Alright, then, go,” Sean demanded.

Raoul rolled his eyes, asking, “Did you not hear what Iason said?”

“It’s not our fault he decided to go easy on him. He wants a do-over. Give him a damn do-over!”

“Well,” Riki said, switching his cue, “If we’re doing do-overs, let’s start the whole damn thing over.”

“Fine!”

“Nine-ball or Eight-ball?” Riki asked Iason with a tantalizing grin.

Iason knew, _knew_ , he should say Nine-ball. If it was Riki’s de facto game, it was probably harder (for Riki) as a whole.

Even Riki’s friends and fans began a mantra, “Pick nine,” and “Dude, just pick nine,” or, “I actually got a quiz tomorrow, so if can we wrap this up with an Eight-ball real quick?”

“Eight-ball,” Iason answered finally.

Raoul muttered, “Of course.”

Riki’s smile only grew as he used his own chalk to dust his cue.

With even more mortification welling up inside, Iason realized that the fans knew exactly what had been going on with this entire façade of a game, for only now did they reach out their phones to record, spreading out to get good angles because apparently Riki was only now about to get serious.

“Rack or break?”

“Which one’s better?” Iason replied, half-serious.

Winking to the cameras, Riki said to him, “Alright, alright. So usually, I do a lag. That’s when we kind of do a race with our balls.” He set up to demonstrate. “We each hit our ball, bounce it off the other rail-”

“Rail?” asked Gideon, leaning the closest over to the Triple O side. He was very, very drunk.

“The sides. The point is to make it as close to this rail-” He slapped the nearest rail underneath him, “-as possible. Whoever is closest can rack and break, or let the other guy do it, or he can rack and the other guy break or vice versa.”

“Let’s lag,” Iason said immediately. Even though he knew for sure he would lose, he wasn’t in any hurry to do so.

“Do a lag,” corrected Riki. Again, the cue balls came out. “Right or left?”

Now Iason understood what that meant, choosing the right side wordlessly only for the fact that it was closer to Triple A’s side, and he needed whatever brownie points he could have for after he lost and Sean loses his shit.

“One, two, three,” Guy counted aloud, “Go!”

Riki and Iason cracked their targets across the table, both hitting the far rail and then the nearest rail again. While Riki’s stopped barely a half-inch away, Iason’s rolled to the middle of the table, causing a few of Riki’s crew to start cheering.

After Riki’s, “Naw, naw, not yet,” Iason demanded, “What just happened? Did I automatically lose?”

Guy immediately took out a ruler from the case, measuring from one of the dots to his ball. “He barely made it.” Several of the people checked for themselves, blowing raspberries and other dismissive gestures at the truth of the matter.

“So it’s an automatic loss if I go past these dots?” Iason asked mostly to himself.

“ _Dots_.”

This set off a string of laughter that was cut short by a glare from Riki.

“What are they actually called?”

“Diamonds, or sights, but most of the time we don’t refer to them directly, but by their line they make between them. Strings.” Pointing out the spaces he called out, “Head string, foot string, center string, back here is the kitchen, this here’s the foot spot, where the foot of the rack goes.”

Orphe voiced aloud in an obviously instigative tone, “Iason didn’t put the foot of the rack there.”

“And no one noticed but me and mine, and we ain’t say shit. What’s your point?”

Shove that foot down his gullet!

Iason tried not to smile.

“Just hurry and play the damn game!”

“Alright, President Sean Matthews, I’ll hurry it up and play, Mr. President. Please be patient, Mr. President.” Sauntering over to Iason, he continued, “Anyway. Yea, if you pass the head string in a lag, you lose in some games, but in this one, I’ll just do the rack and break, and we continue like normal, alright?”

“ _Alright_ ,” said one of Triple O, earning another glare from Riki.

Iason watched Riki rack and place the balls at the correct end of the table, looking from side to side to side as he did so, until finally he decided to lift the straightener up. “Looks good?” he asked, then he apparently realized he was talking to a buffoon who knew nothing about real pool, and said, “Ah, nevermind.” He pointed to a pocket. “I like that pocket.”  

The bartenders were recording as well. The DJ left the music spinning to come record as well- with an actual camera that looked more expensive than his turntable sets. Everyone held their breaths as Riki lined up the cue ball perfectly straight, with his personalized cue aimed just so. Iason wondered just how many balls everyone expected Riki to pocket, and then the cue ball hit the triangle of colorful numbers, stripes and solids.

Every ball disappeared. The cue hit the opposite rail as if it didn’t go through anything but the wind, hindered only by a smooth layer of felt.

Iason had never seen, what would one call it? A hole in one? No, that’s golf…

Anyway, he’s never seen it and part of him wished that he had recorded it.

“Fucking cheating!”

“Sean, please, man, come on,” Vice President Something-or-rather tried to persuade the red-faced man from getting in the middle of, well, everything, as he looked down on Riki’s smug grin.

“Whatchu mean cheating?” Riki asked.

That tone of voice… Iason knew that Riki already knew what Sean was going to say.

“You sunk the eight-ball! Everyone knows you need to do that last! So you automatically lose! We won!”

“Sounds like you avoided utter defeat, Iason. Lucky you,” Orphe congratulated him, complete with a sarcastic clap very close to his face.

“Enough, Orphe.” Raoul pushed Orphe’s hands away.

“Raoul to the rescue.”

Raoul ignored him, which annoyed Orphe more than anything.

Sean shouted to Iason, “Have him walk around campus naked!” More lecherous dares erupted from a joyous Triple A: have him shoot up alcohol through his anus, lick his boots, drink an entire bottle of tequila, and people were just about to smack Iason on the back until he moved out of the way.

“This wasn’t a win. I didn’t do anything.” This was even worse than being treated with kid gloves!

Plus, it seemed Riki and the members of Triple O were planning something with the DJ.

“Come on, tell him to stop being president of Triple O!”

“He’s a real president now?” Hubert asked no one in particular.

Riki’s voice, amplified by the DJ’s microphone, drowned out all the noise as he announced to everyone, “If y’all could please look to the board over here, please, thank you, thank you. In just a moment, I will show you the reason you do not come for me unless I call you.” This remark was met with cheerful jeers as just about everyone got as close to the DJ stage as possible. “Also, like, y’all, I’mma give a shout-out to this Iason Mink. For real, I’m sorry I was a bit of an ass in the beginning, but you have real class, and you the finest out of all your friends. Unless the only friend you got is Mr. Curls over there, and then it’s pretty much equal. Gotta say I’mma sucker for those green eyes.”

Raoul reacted much the same as he did to any sort of flirting towards him, and that’s immediately leave the room. Iason figured he’ll be ready in about half an hour.

“Damn, I scared him away. My bad!”

Again, the crowd went wild, including some higher-pitched voices from the Triple A side, while the frat boys themselves booed him in synchronization, and Sean and Gideon’s loathsome ex screaming, “Gay!”

A screen suddenly lit up with a computer desktop shown on the far wall behind the stage.

“Alright, moment of truth y’all. See if I’mma eat those fucking words for dinner.”

A video showed, in exquisite slow motion, Riki’s game-ending break. The DJ must have been manipulating the footage as the movements became slower and slower, until finally, each ball was shown going to its respective spot. A group here, a group there, and, somehow, there was a final glorious moment where the only balls left on the green were the cue ball and eight ball, before the eight ball fell, dropped in, in the very last place.

In the pocket Riki liked.

The applause was deafening, even as a certain part of the club went very, very quiet.

Drinks went up again, other people picked up sticks, begging for a game, many others were asking for pictures and poses. It was forever before Riki and the Red Gang came back before the members of Alpha Alpha Alpha to gloat.

“So, where’s that money at?”

Sean, completely and utterly sobered up, answered blithely, “What money? It’s not like I signed a contract.”

At this, Marcus demanded, “Don’t you embarrass us like this.” By us, he obviously didn’t mean anyone but the Blondies.

Yet, Sean was not in the mood for compromise, instead tossing back a shot of something dark and saying, “If you want my hard-earned money, you can do a little jig and I’ll think of throwing you a little somethin’.”

Much to literally anyone’s surprise, Riki popped off his vest while at the same time swinging himself to straddle Sean’s chair.

“If you wanted a lap dance that badly, all you had to do was ask.”

Sean pushed his legs, barely tipping the smaller man off balance. “Get the fuck away from me before I call the police for harassment.”

Riki rolled his eyes. “What did I tell you? He was going to reneg’ on the promise and all I’ll have is Iason’s word.” Turning to Iason, he popped open the top buttons of his pinkish polo, pulling it from his pants and the belt. “Or you gonna reneg’ that too?”

Iason wasn’t very sure what ‘reneg’ was, and it was kind of hard to think when the dark prominent torso peeked up between the V line of Riki’s open shirt. So he answered with what information he knew, “I’ll keep my end of the deal and Sean’s. I’ll have to find an ATM though.” And text his parents that nobody was in jail or gambling or robbed.

“Nah, it’s fine. The main reason everyone got me here is to stick it to Sean Matthews because that guy’s a dick. Underestimating my doggone skill.”

Orphe, feeling a bit put out by the turn of events, interrupted, “It not like he didn’t have a point.”

“Mmm… Sure, sure.”

It was Aisha to say from his phone, “Actually, according to the officials rules here, hitting the balls in like that is incredibly rare- almost impossible- and when it does happen, it’s considered a… legal? Am I using it right? It’s legal when one calls a pocket- which I suppose Riki was doing when he said he liked it.”

Orphe hissed between the most clenched of teeth, “How come the only time you want to prove someone wrong is with me?”

“The same reason you try to ruin Iason’s day; sometimes I just want to get at someone more charismatic than me.” Aisha’s deep, dry voice covered an indiscernible joking tone, so while his friends (minus Orphe) smiled knowingly, others looked on in slight confusion on whether or not he was serious.

Except for Riki.

“Ay, y’all got jokes! You need to come on over to the dark side and have some fun that can’t be bought.”

“Weren’t you just offering a lap dance for tip money?” Iason quipped.

“That on your mind, baby? Need an exact price or what?”

By God, Iason was gonna get him tongue-tied or die trying!

“You keep trying. You’ll get me eventually.”

He was going to _strangle_ him with his own tongue!

Iason kept those feelings (barely) beneath the surface and instead asked genially, “My part of the deal includes doing whatever you ask of me.”

It went quiet.

Riki didn’t keep the suspense for very long at all: “Oh, I knew exactly what I wanted when I brought it up. Go on a date with me on Valentine’s.”

“Oh? Will you be feeling lonely without a date?”

“Not any more lonely than you.”

“What makes you think I don’t have plans?”

Riki lifted an unimpressed eyebrow. “You would have mentioned that first. And whoever you would be going with would be here right now, on ya arm, because you would have planned it all to a T. Gotta keep up appearances, amirite?”

Iason tried to think of anything, ANYTHING, to say but all that came out was a disgruntled, “Nnnghg.”

“Did you just… growl at me?”

“No.”

“Man, the way your face just does not change makes me want to tease you even more.”

If his face didn’t change, how come Riki just knew how to say… words?!

Guy smacked Riki upside his head in a practiced maneuver. “Riki,” he chided.

“Ah. Right. Of course, if you don’t feel comfortable with it, we can do some regular ass dare like. Like… Damn… Like…”

Iason took his chance, “Completely enraptured by the fantasy of taking me out on the town?”

“Yea, like, I think you’re pretty cool. Plus, you fine, and you’re not an asshole. At least, if nobody comes for your people.”

The sweet honesty made Iason just give up. Throwing the white flag like so, he simply answered, “Something we have in common.”

“Yea?” Riki’s face brightened considerably. “Yea! So how about it? You, me, chocolate-flavored lube-” A round of intense slaps against of his head. “-I mean chocolate-covered strawberries. Or we can watch movies and chill.” Another set of blows. “Or something? Oh, damn, I didn’t even consider if you even liked guys!”

“Your radar is fine!” promised Gideon, somehow now shoulder-to-shoulder to Iason. “He likes it all! Don’t you, Iason?”

Gideon seemed to forget that they were within earshot of the most prominent members of Triple A.

Riki shook his head. “Even if you did, it’s still important that you say yes. Oh, Green Eyes, welcome back!”

Pointedly ignoring a certain someone, Raoul asked, “What did I miss?”

“Riki is inviting Iason on a date on Valentine’s! For the dare!”

“And… He’s being asked for permission?”

“Yes, isn’t he the sweetest thing?” Gideon was absolutely taken, which came to no one’s surprise- except certain members of the fraternity who was noticing someone a wee bit lavender in their midst. Members who will tell their parents, and faculty, and to other people’s parents, then back to faculty.

If Dean Jupiter found out…

Raoul pleaded, “Iason, just take this-”

Despite everything, Iason talked over him, “This doesn’t count.”

“Can you be reasonable about anything? Anything at all?”

“If I have to give you permission, it doesn’t count. Just tell me to do something, or some things. I have to do anything you say. It doesn’t have to be one thing or one day, you have free reign to do anything so actually do something. Make me do something.” If anything at all was accomplished today, at least everyone here will know he was fair and diligent and completely up to any task ahead of him.

Apparently, he was able to continually put a smile on Riki’s face as he sidled up close and personal. Then, their chests were touching and the heat from both their bodies met against their clothes. He could feel his face burning.

The smile became… predatory. An arm came around his waist and pulled him close enough to feel Riki’s belt in his diaphragm.

“Hmm, the icy mask is melting finally. Now, I guess since you’re so serious about it, I’ll be serious, too. How about this? I’ll ask you some questions. Some yes-no ones. And you say yes, or no. Easy, yea?”

“Too easy,” Iason urged.

“Good to know, I might ask some… clarifications on your answers then. First question, do you think you can fuck me in a one-night-stand?”

“Nha?” was the most intelligent response Iason could garner on short notice, as brain cells were in short supply from the initial frying. It was better than Gideon’s squeal of excitement and worse than the protest of Riki’s friends. Riki raised a hand to them, waiting patiently for Iason to reply.

Any minute now.

For some reason, the DJ was blaring music again, something popular that got everyone’s arms up.

Any minute now.

Yes or no.

He flickered blue eyes to the grotesque number of people watching and keeping as still as death, some heads turned to hear better because the music was just insane! This was what he wanted, in a way, but he expected to do something like streak naked through the streets, or sing an embarrassing song, and, fuck, he really did expect Riki to go easy on him, after all. Now when push came to shove he turned out to be a wuss.

No.

Never.

_Never_.

“Yes.” There! He answered, honestly!

He was never asked to answer honestly. What in the world was he thinking?

“Yes, what?” Despite how loudly the music was and the loud voices that came with it, he could hear Riki’s words easily.

“Yes… Sir?”

That was not in the ballpark of what Riki was expecting, as he seemed to choke on air, but Iason couldn’t even revel in finally getting him at a loss for words, missing his chance the smaller man recovered and clarified, “What are you saying yes to?” even as an erection burgeoned between them.

Realizing what he had done, Iason babbled, “Yes, I think I can fuck you in a one-night-stand.” Why did he call him Sir? Why was Riki so much more aroused after being called sir? Why was he aroused? Where was he? What year was it?

Another arm came around him- held him up, more like it. Was there an earthquake happening?

“Do you think you can eat a peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwich?”

“What? No?”

“Are you asking me?”

“No. No, I don’t think I can.” What a question. Was he in a Twilight Zone? Was he blackout drunk and hallucinating?

“Do you think you would ever like me putting your cock in my mouth and sucking you dry?”

_Christ_.

“Yes.” Just yes or no. That’s all he had to do. And stay conscious. That was kind of important.

 “Do you like chocolate?”

“Yes.”

“Do you masturbate every day?”

“No.”

“Every weekend?”

“No.”

“Do you call your mama every weekend?”

“Yes.”

“Is Green Eyes your best friend?”

“Yes.”

“Have you ever thought of having sex with him?”

Iason snapped his sights to Raoul, who, seeing that he had his attention made a thumbs-up, thumbs-down motion, real worry etched into his features. Iason signed a thumbs-up, and Raoul’s exasperated, exaggerated look of disbelief made him smile.

“Yes.”

“Do you think we could ever have a threesome together?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“That’s not a yes-no question.”

“It sure ain’t,” was Riki’s easy reply and Iason found himself unable to look at the face below him even though he had been hanging on to every twist of eye, mouth, and brow for the better part of the last hour.

“Raoul’s terrified of sex.”

It was a secret between the two of them. In fact, Raoul was probably the last virgin among them, although as far as any of the others were concerned, they were all very much experienced.

Except in whatever magic Riki was doing. No experience with that whatsoever.

“Alright.” If Iason had told anyone else in his life that Raoul was afraid of sex, the teasing would be endless, perhaps bordering on mean, but Riki seemed as fazed as if he had told him Raoul had a penis, except even more acceptable. “Would you like to go on a date with me on Valentine’s Day?”

“Yes.”

“Did you refuse before because it was something you wanted, and you believed that the dare should be something you didn’t want?”

Sliding by any honesty on that front, Iason replied in a strained whisper, “I really believe it should be something I can’t refuse.”

“You do know that if you told me to stop, right now, I’ll stop, right? There’s nothing I will make you do if you didn’t want to do it.”

Trying hard to keep the whine from his voice, Iason almost whined, “Then why did you even bring it up?”

“Well, I had something in mind, you know, opportunities to calm things down or to let everyone off easy but you are damn stubborn. You’re the most stubborn bastard I ever met and I’ve met myself on numerous occasions.” Iason couldn’t help but smile. “Now, because my arms are getting tired, I’mma wrap this up and-”

“This cannot be all that you’re going to do!”

“AND because you will probably ask for more because you’re just a _glutton for punishment-_ ” He said that weird. That was a weird thing to say. “-I will demand that for the next week you answer more questions, and, maybe, if I think you’re up to it, I might even request something extra. Of course, I’ll like to go out on a date with you on Valentine’s.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yes?”

Riki squeezed him close. “Yes, what?”

“Yes… Sir.”

Finally they parted, and Iason realized the music wasn’t that loud, and that earthquake was just the shake of his own frame, and he was in a club, and his erection was immense.

“Gimme your number.”

Iason finally managed to calm down as they exchanged numbers, typing each other’s names into the other’s phone, and he realized he was bound to misspell Riki’s name otherwise, and that Riki, even in the contacts, didn’t put his last name. It had to be done on purpose, and Iason let the matter go, as Riki said with a cock of his head, “Spelled just like it sounds. Alright, before Raoul there has an aneurysm.”

Placing the tips of his fingers on Iason’s hips, he closed the gap between them, between their mouths, closing the distance quickly.

Before stopping abruptly, he whispered, “Talk to you later, Iason.” He pulled away with the most self-satisfied smirk across his face, walking towards his friends with a little jaunt to his step.

Iason tried not to let it be too obvious that he had been expecting _something_ and walked back to his own friends. All of them standing around a few tables further away from the center of the brothers of Alpha Alpha Alpha made it easier to close off anyone who wasn’t invited, because this was Thirteen-only business.

“What the fuck was that?” Marcus demanded. “Fucking love at first sight or some shit?”

“You think?” Leon asked in his usual rasp, awakened from his almost permanent semi-slumber, curling his hair around his fingers. “I don’t think I’ve ever met a sexier man. Have you?”

The initial response was a stark silence that not only answered that question, but also refused anything to refute the thought in the slightest. Nothing like, “I’m not interested in men!” as Marcus could have said or, “He’s too short for my liking,” as Ruphias could have said or “I’ve never met a sexy man, anyway,” as Orphe would tout.

“Alright. So, agreed?” Gideon broke the moment. “What’s the actual problem is that we- mostly I, just outed myself and Iason in front of Triple A. My dad’s going to disown me, aaaaaaaand what are your thoughts?”

With a dramatic sigh, Gilbert said, “Your dad’s not going to disown you. You remember when my parents and your parents had that weekend getaway to the Bahamas? And I told you it was for work?”

“Yea, that was great! We had the cul-de-sac to ourselves for two whole weeks!”

Raoul piped in, “I remember that. And Iason took on a drinking contest with Kyle-”

“Kent,” Iason corrected, under his breath.

“ _Whatever._ And you wouldn’t quit even though Kyle had eighty pounds on you and what happened?”

Iason mumbled a group of words.

“Exactly. You passed out from alcohol poisoning and the only reason any of us knew to take you to the hospital was because you hit your damn head on the way down! Gee! I wonder what that seems like? Does that ring any bells to any of you?”

Hubert gasped. “That’s kind of what happened today! It was like Riki was trying to give ways out but you kept just, like, slapping them away! Right, or was that just to me?”

“Oooh, you aren’t alone, Hubie!”

“Anyway, Gideon,” Gilbert continued. “They weren’t at the Bahamas. They were at a camp where parents could deal with their children being gay. As you can see, you haven’t been disowned, and your dad definitely knows you’re gay.”

Gideon just seemed more confused at the news: “Why hasn’t he said anything to me?”

“Maybe because you haven’t said anything to him?”

Griffith nudged Haynes in the side. “Hey, Raoul, you know who’s really good at saying things?”

Raoul smacked the table. “I do! Remember when we all listened to Iason as he _said_ that he was fine swimming to the second sandbar at Cyrus beach and he _wasn’t_ , and his head went underwater and he came back up saying-”

“I was just playing around!” the whole lot of them shouted on cue.

“-but he wasn’t! He just didn’t want someone coming after him and what happens anyway?”

“How many lifeguards went after him? Six?” Marcus guessed aloud.

“Seven,” snickered Orphe. “Lucky Seven.”

“Oh, yea, and the Baywatch lady gave him mouth-to-mouth.”

Iason remembered that. It was his first kiss that he, privately, congratulated himself on. That, and not dying. He couldn’t quite remember how he managed it, as everything after ‘playing around’ got a bit muddled, what with the copious amounts of seawater he swallowed, until he looked up into the warm brown eyes of the Baywatch lady.

“Nothing life-changing or life-threatening has happened today,” Iason reasoned.

“Except that you showed your aroused face to perfect strangers and these idiots here!”

“How did you know I was aroused? Did you see?”

“I didn’t! You just told me!”

Yes. It was time for Iason to shut up and endure Raoul’s wrath and the usual rounds of teasing and nitpicking on past misadventures. Soon, they would get back on topic, then off-topic and bring up how Raoul mistook a girl asking him to scratch her back with him unhooking her bra, or how Haynes drove his new car across tracks in front of speeding train- clipping his car. He was legitimately grounded for six entire months, and everyone was too mad at him to give him any leeway, until he started crying at school out of loneliness. Or, Iason’s personal favorite, how Orphe got lost at an _amusement park_ , was forgotten during roll call, and left behind. Orphe had been terrified (they could laugh now, but the high school was sued for a ton of money) and hid in a bathroom until a night worker found him sleeping in a bush.

Until all that, Iason kept to himself his private joy of having a date, a real date, on Valentine’s. Someone with an actual personality and presence and was just cool. Not like he was going to say any of that out loud.

Unless…

 


	2. Nougat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riki attempts to slow things down for the sake of himself, his friends, Iason's friends, and of course, Iason. He makes the next step in truly getting their friends together. 
> 
> But he can't hold back even for a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the things that saddened me about the original OVA and novels was how there were sooooo many people on this side and sooooo many people on that side that never interacted with one another. Of course, they had no reason to, but it was incredibly depressing.

Riki, humming musically into his mirror, was getting ready for the day. It wasn’t an elaborate preparation, just making sure his hair was up to par, his clothes matched and looked relatively snazzy, for the kicks, after of course a shower exactly five minutes long because hot water was a diamond in the rough. He was more likely to find a used condom than hot water, but at that time in the morning, in short intervals, there was enough.

He returned to his room. To be more accurate, it was their rooms, Guy and him in one, Luke and Sid in another, with a ‘kitchen’ in between. Norris, the lucky bastard, had a hardwon exemption from freshman living, to live with his lover Maxi, whom he met over the summer working part-time at the local auto shop. On a lower floor, Daryl and Katze shared a room, and somewhere on the other side of the building, Mimea was fast making new friends. Somewhere further away, in more expensive dorms, Kyrie was driving Cal crazy.

They were all local to the university. Growing up in the orphanage, none of them ever expected to attend it, and had set their sights on community college and jobs, until Gran told them that they could do anything that they set their minds to. She apparently said that to all the kids, but, she would often joke, only the thick-headed troublemakers of the little Bison gang (their T-ball team was Bisons, before it was shut down, the diamond replaced by a cigarette and snack store) heeded her words.

After a time of uninhibited growth in middle school, Gran had a frank talk with them. They had made a name for themselves in the city, and getting adopted may mean starting over and losing it all.

So they agreed to stay, letting both older and younger ‘cousins’ go, wishing them the best, while the lot of them worked hard as hell to get out, and get somewhere, and helped whoever wasn’t adopted do the same. When Gran finally retired from foster housing she was set up with a ‘maid’ in a condo, with quite a bit of help from her ‘grandkids’ and ‘grandkid-in-law’ Maxi. Don’t call the woman anyone but a maid. Or else.

Of course, they all called Grandma, and Riki was playing around when he asked Krystal and Shannon to get Ira to call. Still, Ira forgot to call sometimes and Gran worried, and she worried to everyone else, and so Riki had to make sure she had nothing to worry about.

Life, in general, was going along swimmingly. Sure he had haters and stupid people in his life, and he didn’t like the General Education classes the university required him to take his freshman year, but he wasn’t inundated with stress. Far from it: he just took his boredom one step at a time.

Love life was exactly the same. It was weird in high school when Guy confessed to being in love with him, but after giving it a try, it became very obvious that Riki was trying, and that was fair to no one. It made things awkward for about half a year until Guy came back into the fold, ready to let bygones be bygones.

Guy, about as much a morning person as Riki was a cat person (he was not), was still in his bed, nursing a hangover.

Riki didn’t get those for some reason. He tiptoed past the bed to get to his own, stifling his urge to hum.

Failing that, Guy groaned, “How can you be so happy so early, every damn day?”

“The same reason you ain’t up at the crack of dawn. It’s in my genes.”

“There’s something in your jeans.”

“Aaaaay!”

“Aynnnn,” answered Guy half-heartedly.

“You comin’ to breakfast?”

“Is breakfast bringing a wheelchair?”

Rolling his eyes, Riki searched through Guy’s clothes for his school ID. Technically, he wasn’t supposed to use another student’s ID for anything, but staff turned a blind eye if he batted his long eyelashes quickly enough.

“If they have-”

“Those nasty lemon-poppy seed muffins, I’ll get some, yea.”

Guy waved him off.

The air was cold as a witch’s tit but his black, cloth-lined jacket kept most of the nip away. With a quick step, his own movements generated enough heat to last at least until the mess hall, where the majority of meal-plan-holders (required for most freshmen) got their food. To Riki and the rest, it was fancy buffet eating with a great selection. To people with standards, it was bland cafeteria food.

Speaking of people with standards, he heard a beep from his phone. Right now, he only allowed a select few messages to get to him. Those from Bison T-Ball (they still said the entire thing- Granma said gang), a couple of people he owed favors to, a selection of those from The Lifestyle, and Iason.

Although, if his eye was still any good, the last two would join into one group.

He had joined the lifestyle with a fake ID in what seemed to be a seedy club downtown, realizing that, yep, he liked what he saw, and realized what was missing from his relationship with pretty much anyone. At the time he was careful to never participate and make someone break the law and was granted leniency when a few members recognized his face in a newspaper talking about Special Graduates-high school graduates. By then he was already of age, of course, and leniency meant that they didn’t kick him out, but they gave him his birthday licks with nothing held back because, hey, he was an adult now. His ass was barely healed by graduation.

Good memories.

Now, for the future.

_Good morning._

That was all the message from Iason said. Riki briefly considered being kind and just saying good morning back, maybe invite him to breakfast.

Then his real self came to the fore with: _2 nervous 2 wait 4 a text?_

He saw, with relish, the three loading dots appear, then disappear, then appear, then disappear.

Finally: _No._

_All that 4 a no?_

_Must you tease me so early in the morning?_

_Not a morning person? And yet u texted me. Watta honor!_

_Fine! Yes! I was nervous and texted you this early in the morning! Is that what you wanted me to say?_

_Well, if you wouldn’t lie, I would have nothing to tease you about._

There was a rather astute pause.

_Do you want me to apologize?_

Riki was sure Iason meant it flippantly, or wanted to it to be interpreted that way, but he could read that pause like an open book, and he finally decided to ease off. For now.

_I’m sorry. That wasn’t nice of me, first thing. Want to eat breakfast with me?_

_Alone?_

Riki almost put if Iason wanted to bring back-up, but refrained, because he was going to be good for a little while longer. So, he simply stated the truth: that he’ll eat by himself unless Iason decided to take him up on his offer.

_Where are you dining?_

Dining? This guy was like a prince!

_The Café._

_Which one?_

Remembering that he was in fact talking to someone a bit above his station, he amended: _The cafeteria on campus._

_There’s a cafeteria on the campus?_

_You need a map of where the poor people eat?_

Riki just couldn’t help himself.

_Maybe if you begged me, I’ll deign to eat there._

_I never beg. I’ll talk to you later._

He put his phone away with that, knowing with about ninety-seven percent certainty that he would probably have a partner with him. Fortunately, the lunch lady (they were officially called chefs, but habits were hard to break) was one of the ones who knew him well. “Hello, Madam Grace. Great weather we’re having,” he greeted grandiloquently, complete with a deep bow.

“Close the door, boy. It’s thirty degrees outside.” Grace took both IDs and swiped them. “Get your boyfriend to come get his own food before he gets someone fired.”

“I’ll see if I can’t find some way to convince him.” He clicked his tongue with a wink.

Shaking her head, the lunch lady waved him on as more students arrived.

Riki found a small table, which was his usual habit. At the beginning of the year, as word went around that Riki was accepted to the university and was attending, Riki was bombarded with excitable, gregarious mobs every time of the day. So he left the dorm a bit earlier, and sat at a small table. Sure, someone courageous would take a seat across from him, but it was rather rare. Most people got the hint that he wanted to enjoy his breakfast in his own way. His back to the entrance, he hoped Iason would get the hint that he was waiting for him.

He was briefly contemplating putting on some music while he waited when Iason finally arrived behind him.

It was a bit of a kerfuffle, as he heard the distinct sounds of non-sneaker shoes hitting the linoleum floor, at least two pairs.

He brought back-up.

Iason’s face was like ice as usual, but the only reasons his face would be like so were that he actually didn’t care, or he was trying to hide the fact that he was embarrassed to come with back-up when Riki planned for the two of them. And seeing as he brought the back-up unasked in the first place, that really only left one option.

Riki stood immediately. “Over here.” There was a table towards the corner back where, if someone(s) needed to study last minute early in the morning, this was the place to join Riki. It was rather cold in the corner no matter the time of year, apparently, so Riki flipped off his jacket to lay upon the cold leather seat. Settling down comfortably, he watched with no little amount of glee as Raoul sat down first, forcing Iason to make a decision.

Riki pretended to look at his phone for a second, and, just as he thought, when he put it away, Iason decided immediately.

To sit next to him.

Huh.

Didn’t expect that.

Raoul apparently hadn’t either, his eyebrows creased, mouth slightly open. There was just the merest bit of a pout. To hide it, he reached for the little cardboard handout that showcased the week’s activities, although it hadn’t be updated for this current week, or the last week, or the week before last.

Raoul flipped it over, read it, and then tried to open it.

Oh, did he think….

“That’s not a menu.” Riki just had to keep his smile off his face.

“I… I see that. Do I call someone over? It doesn’t look like there are any waiters here.”

Riki was very, very glad that he was the only one here because his friends would be having an absolute field day with this. They would dying.

Riki smiled, pointing to where the food was. “It’s buffet style.”

At their blank stares, he elaborated, “We go get it.”

“Ourselves?” both answered with surprise.

“Yep! Up we go!”

“Why did we even sit down in the first place?” Again, they both said this with varying degrees of annoyance. Both took off their jackets to reveal a cardigan over a pearl white shirt and Iason in a delicious black turtleneck that had been hidden by a scarf before. With their jackets off, he happily had a view of what their backs looked like. Yes, their backs.

“Well, if we got our food first, and then we finished finding what we liked at different times, someone’s food was going to get cold while standing around, yea?” Their backs were just nice. Riki wondered if they worked out, or was it just in the jeans? Genes. In their genes.

“Ah, that makes sense. My apologies.”

Only Raoul said _that_.

They were already getting looks from the other early birds in the cafeteria. Of course, some of them may have just recognized Riki, but from the way most of their heads pointed upwards, most of them had eyes for the stretches of men who looked like they were lost in the middle of a dark forest. Plus, their hair was both very long.

In fact, after Riki had that _noice_ little talk with Iason the night before, there seemed to be a group from Triple A that had congregated together around him to talk about it. Their hair was all long and light-colored, clothes expensive and top-class but for just a few who wore expensive and top-class party clothes, sneakers, jeans, graphic tees. Not the type of clothes the rest of Triple A wore though. For them, it was a sea of khakis, flip flops, shades and general sadness in the realm of style.

Iason and his close friends marched to the beat of their own drum, and probably joined Triple A because it was natural of them to do so. They probably found it lacking if they so easily brushed the others off to the side. After the pool game, they were separated, with the stupid Triple A members never going over to them. That might have been because the president was a bit salty, but guys like Sean would rub it in. Unless it was a fight he couldn’t win.

One of the princes did go over to _them_ , but one of the Triple A members- the vice president of the Student Government Association and one of those Bible freaks- started a conversation with him. When Vice Prez took out a book- looked like The Bible- the poor guy ran away. The rest of them quickly left after that.

“I’m surprised you hadn’t taken him home to chill,” Daryl had said reprovingly over a light beer.

Sid asked in much the same tone, “You don’t think you’re taking this too fast?”

It was a natural question, and they had reason to worry. He was taking it awful fast. Just because Iason didn’t know when to stop didn’t mean he should lose his own conscience.

“Hey, it seemed like what he wanted. I’ll be clear every step of the way, promise.”

“Mm-hmm,” Guy had said under his breath. He was probably the only one who knew the truth: Riki had lost his cool. His best friend alone knew about his fascination with the lifestyle and the type of person that drove him wild.

 A person willing to jump into uncertain territory because he felt he could handle anything. A person unafraid of risks and unwilling to compromise just for comfort. A person with pride to see things through to the very end.

A person like him.

It’s not like he saw himself completely in Iason. Iason didn’t have that people-loving aspect to him, what with his very comfortable group of friends. He didn’t seem like much of a show-off. Doing cool things for cool things sake. Except with words? Or maybe that was only when he wanted to get the upper hand?

“Riki?”

Riki was snapped from his reverie by Iason’s call.

“Hm?”

He noticed they were in front of some slabs of ham. Each was tied down with the rope thingies, he had no idea what they were or why they were, with long knives. Nobody else was in sight.

Iason pointed at the arrangement. “Are we supposed to slice them ourselves?”

Riki kind of wanted to see them do it, slice their own ham, but he did not want to see them get in trouble- not like there were signs or instructions, but, admittedly, the knives’ ends were pointed the kitchen way, inward not outward.

“Ah, naw, the lunch ladies get ‘em.”

“Is there a bell or button to call for their assistance?”

“To call for their assistance you gotta call for their assistance with ya mouth hole.”

Iason’s face flared for just a moment, and it looked like he would, just for the moment, pass on the ham. Then his face did _that thing_ , _that thing_ where he wiped his face clean of extraneous expression because he was going to do something he might not be one hundred percent comfortable with, and he didn’t want anyone to know he was uncomfortable.

Next to him, Raoul rolled his eyes. Still, though, he inched a bit behind Iason.

“Excuse me?”

Inched a bit more.

“Excuse me!”

A biiiit more.

“EXCUSE ME!”

Oh, look, Raoul was definitely shorter than Iason by an inch.

“EXCUSE ME!”

“Who is doin’ all that yellin’!” A thickset woman came out, her hands covered in flour and her apron similarly dressed. She had a slanted nametag with Teresa typed on it- not like Riki didn’t recognize the chef with a temper the length of an inchworm. There was a reason why she did a bunch of cooking in the back, instead of giving out food. “Don’t be hidin’ behind him! Was it you?”

“Uuuh,” Raoul said eloquently.

“It was me,” Iason lost not a bit of any of the haughtiness in his tone. “And I wouldn’t be yelling if you were out here doing your job.”

Uh.

Uh oh.

Riki discreetly began picking up some eggs from a nearby station.

“Doin’ my job? Doin’ my job! You see my hands? I’m doin’ my job.” She swept her eyes over the cafeteria. “But I see ain’t nobody here to help you, I guess.”

“I want some ham.”

“People in hell want ice water.”

At her flippant tone, Iason seemed to have just had it, his mouth firming up just the tiniest bit, until a couple of well-placed taps on his back from Raoul got him into cool waters again.

“May I have some ham, _please_ , ma’am?”

“Yes, you sure _can_.” When she grabbed the ham’s knife, she noticed Riki, who did his best smile. Still, the knife pointed his way. “Dontchu give me dat, boy! What was wrong wit you and your li’l friends stealing that octopus! You think we didn’t notice? Langeais would be ashamed, you li’l devil!”

“Octopus?” Riki feigned innocence. “I’on’t remember no, uh, no octopus.”

“We got cameras, fool!”

“Aw, c’mon, like, it was the first octopus we had and we just wanted to share it with our friends. You know how it is.”

“What I KNOW is that all your friends got two legs that they could have USED to come get they own octopus! If you didn’t have all these fool here wrapped around your li’l baby finger, you would be workin’ shifts!”

Riki shook his shoulders in a dance, sashaying forward. “Ay, that come with a discount?”

Teresa’s chin rose with fury and she seemed moments away from chucking that knife into his forehead.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Miz. Teresa, I promise I won’t steal no mo’ food.”

“Hmph!” Finally, she was slicing the ham, giving out the slices to each of them.

Riki teased, “That’s it?”

“If you don’t get out my face, Lord help me!”

Riki hurried away, followed by Iason and Raoul. He didn’t want to press his luck on the octopus. It was something he did on a whim because- holy shit octopus!- and he had hid the hotly cooked legs in a hoodie. He didn’t have anything to shield him from the rain that day, but daring everyone to eat a piece (and then devouring the entirety) was a treasured memory. Of course, he got in actual trouble with the Director of Student Living, Director Bern who liked him (and Guy and Daryl) plenty, but he warned that if such an incident happened again, he would be forced to report to the Dean of the Students, M. Jupiter. Director Bern said he would be forced to do a lot of things, but Riki has never done the same thing twice. Well, he’s never been _caught_ twice. Still, he didn’t want to deal with Jupiter, with the reputation of sending freshman home for entire semesters.

Picking food passed without further mishaps, with Iason choosing a little bit of everything, until his plate ran out of room. Raoul, on the other hand, had exactly two boiled eggs, a cup of yogurt with two strawberries, the ham, and a biscuit. This was after reading every single description and list of ingredients. Still, he was the first to sit down.

Despite what he said, Riki waited for Iason to finish.

This didn’t go unnoticed.

“Why didn’t you sit down?”

“Because I wanted to walk behind you,” the smaller man had said honestly.

“Why?”

“Because I like seeing the way you walk.”

Even though he was being true, he wasn’t an idiot who didn’t know how his words affected people, and he couldn’t help the grin spreading across his face at Iason’s blush, his stopping to see if he was serious, and the proud face going flat and moving ahead.

Riki walked up even closer, whispering into his blond hair, “Mmm-mm! Like watching ocean waves. ‘Course, instead of up and down, it’s right-left, right-left, right-left.” Iason’s walk lost its rhythm at once. “Not used to men being behind you? We’ll fix that, won’t we?”

He couldn’t see Iason’s face, but he very much assumed that that perfect jawline was quivering ever so slightly. If his slower, more careful pace was anything to go by, he might have needed a closer table, but they had the entire cafeteria seating area to cross. Had Iason come alone, that space would have been cut in half, and so would have Riki’s fun.

And to the left: “Did you tell Raoul about our little convo?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Was he worried?”

“Not… Not as worried as I thought he would be.”

 _Interesting._ “Did you tell him everything?”

“Yes.”

“Was he the only one you told?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of underwear are you wearing?”

Iason stopped again.

“Boxers?”

“Are you asking me?”

“Boxers.”

“Mmm. What color are they?”

“Black,” was the immediate answer. The color of his underpants wasn’t the sort of thing Riki would remember on a regular like today (it was a red G-string the night before), but Iason probably had a dedicated drawer with all of them folded carefully. Or was he the type to hang them up? Riki will find out.

But first.

“How long are they, down to your thighs? Or just enough to cup the important stuff?”

“Just… Just enough.”

“Silk? Cotton?”

“Both. The… The seams are made of silk.”

“Is it a pair you wouldn’t mind ruining?”

“Ruining how?” was the tight demand.

Riki pulled up flush against his back, speaking in a whisper across his neck. “If I were to tear it off with my teeth, for example. Just kneel down.” He traveled downwards, giving a hot kiss to the middle of his back- making sure his food was to the side. “Pull down your pants.” A longer breath, enough to smell his cologne. “Get that silk and cotton on my tongue. And bite.” He bit with the front of his teeth. “And take them clean off.”

There was no answer, but Riki didn’t move.

“Stop. Stop, Riki.”

Good thing he was behind Iason. His face went to panic mode real quick, even as he asked calmly, “Is there something wrong?”

“I’m… I’m getting aroused. Raoul will see.”

“Why would it be bad if Raoul saw?”

“I don’t want to make him feel uncomfortable. Damn it!” Iason suddenly turned around. It was evidently too late, as his pants were tenting, and, yep yep, that dick was definitely as big as it had felt. Riki found no anger on his face, a good sign, just a general bashfulness, a better sign.

Riki took his phone from his pocket, handing it over to Iason.

“Why-”

He then took Iason’s plate, saying, “Take some time in the bathroom to calm down. Also, my password is 8881. What’s yours?”

“Mine? Mine is a pattern.”

“Raoul knows it?”

“Yes. Yes, he does.”

“Cool. Hurry up, or else your food will get even colder.”

Riki walked past him to the table, where Raoul looked on flabbergasted, chewing what had to be his biscuit, as everything else on his plate was in their regular state. His eyes followed Iason as he rushed to the bathroom. Sitting down across from him and placing the food on the table, Riki looked through Iason’s jacket and grabbed it. “Iason said you knew his password? Do you mind?” He pointed the screen forward.

By instinct, Raoul did the pattern, eyes widening when he was done. “What do you want with his phone?”

“Just going to send Iason a little message.”

“How? You have his phone.”

“And he gots mine.”

Riki found his name- with a heart emoji next to it. A heart emoji and a question mark.

He’ll keep this to himself.

For now. Then he sent a message.

_Take a picture of yourself hard in your boxers. Not your face. And you don’t need to send it. Just take a picture._

He kept it there. Then hurriedly added: _Only if you’re comfortable._

He placed the phone back, taking up his fork to get into his eggs with more gusto than was probably warranted the rubbery humps.

“I can’t believe you did… whatever you did right here in public,” Raoul hissed, leaning forward over his plate.

“I’ve done worse in public. Or should I say better? Definitely better.” Changing the subject, Riki asked, “Have you and Iason been friends forever?”

“If you mean since we were little, then yes. Yes, we have. All of us have.”

Riki thought a moment. “You mean all you that were standing yesterday after I did whatever I did last night?”

Raoul nodded, biting into his biscuit a second time. He smacked his lips together, trying to get some moisture. Looking around, his green eyes found the drink station. “How is their coffee? Do you know? Or do you take your cream and sugar with a dash of coffee like Iason does?”

“Hey, I don’t put cream in my coffee.” Sugar, on the other hand. “I like their coffee, but they have different flavors and sometimes they mix them up, so take the labels with a grain of salt.”

This seemed to be less than ideal for Raoul, but he stood to get his drink nonetheless. “Would you like some?”

“Sure. ‘Preciate it.”

Raoul left and returned, stalling before sitting down as he realized that Iason still wasn’t back. Riki noticed he had apple juice, two mugs of coffee, and three glasses of water. Very considerate. Definitely not one to take risks, not even on coffee. Although it seemed they were opposites, if they grew up together, Raoul’s constant worry probably stuck him to Iason’s side, to make sure he didn’t do something crazy.

Well. Too crazy.

Taking a sip of apple juice, and grimacing with disappointment, Raoul said into his glass, “I have a question to ask of you, Riki.”

“What’s up?”

“Are you into… an alternative lifestyle?”

Riki looked up from his food to make absolutely sure that Raoul was asking what he thought Raoul was asking. Unlike Iason, his face wasn’t as readable. Eyebrows heightened and expectant, Riki felt like he was being watched. So, he had to be sure.

“What, you mean if I have some alter ego that moonlights as a sexy love machine in red?”

“Or black leather.”

There it was.

“Then, yes. I am into that. Why? Did you and Iason look it up?”

Eyebrows creased, Raoul quickly shook his head. “No. Don’t tell Iason I asked you this. It’s just something that I’ve been… Something I’ve been into for some time. I know, uh, I know Iason told you I was- am, hesitant about sex. It’s not as if I’m a prude. Just… Picky? I’m not sure, and I’m not sure what I want. That’s!” He sighed deeply. “That is beside the point. I know about the lifestyle because parts of it are a few things I’m into. But I don’t believe Iason has ever done anything like it, or really knows about it other than, comical renditions from movies or something. Are you skilled?”

“I got certifications and everything.”

“Really?” That sounded almost hopeful.

“Well, some of the clubs I go to are super high-end, especially for doms. References, certificates, classes, dress code.”

“Would they approve of the way your relationship was progressing with Iason?”

Woo, boy, that went right to the jugular.

“I’m guessing no.”

Riki tasted his coffee, finding it flavored with cinnamon. One of the better flavors that didn’t need as much sugar. Still, he took his time adding packets.

“Real talk, Raoul, is he able to say no? Like, you know, say stop? If I can’t trust him to do that, this… This ain’t going to work. At all.”

Raoul nodded anxiously. “Exactly! I know his novel reactions are titillating, but I’m not sure if he knows just how important it is to refuse when he needs to.”

“Or wants to,” Riki clarified, then he noticed the man of the hour walking back, looking very much like he hadn’t done anything extravagant in the least. “Hey, say you’re uncomfortable when I give the signal, okay?”

Raoul just about said something, but Iason entered his field of vision and he very skillfully looked just about as guilty as someone with his hand caught in the cookie jar, which made Iason’s crisp blue eyes narrow with suspicion as he sat down and took up a fork and knife. Then he noticed the coffee, taking a sip. “Oh! Cinnamon. How lovely.” Still, he added cream and sugar as if the coffee was mixed with dirt.

Riki set his plan straight, starting with, “You took some time in there.”

“Did I? Were you so lonely that it seemed as if I was gone forever?”

“I was worried you were so scared about Miz Teresa you had to cry in the bathroom.”

Riki could hear Iason bite into his coffee spoon.

Before they actually started eating, Riki continued his plan, “So, what took you? Or will that ruin my breakfast?”

“No!” Iason took the bait so easily, Riki snorted with a little giggle before he even thought of repressing it.

“Then that means you were doing something else. I don’t think what I asked you would take that long. Maybe you were doing something else….?”

No automatic negative forthcoming, Riki knew that Iason was doing exactly what he thought he was doing, which made him want to do it right then. It was almost painful how excited that made him feel- but he really needed to make sure that his dick didn’t go to his head. One step at a time, as he had promised.

“What were you doing?” He placed his chin on his hand, looking up, watching those eyes slide down to him, slide up to Raoul, down to his plate. “Hm?”

“I’m… I’m…”

“Too scared to say it out loud~” Riki teased in a singsong voice.

At the same time, he gave Raoul a soft kick to the shin.

The man’s face showed not the slightest hint that he had been disturbed, but he said aloud, “I’m not comfortable with you saying it, but if you honestly want to answer, I believe I can manage.”

Perfect.

“He’s going to tell you later anyway.” Riki kept his voice even, hoping it didn’t sound persuasive in the least.

“That’s different. I don’t know why, but it is.”

That’s all that mattered. There needn’t be a grandiose expose on the why’s and how’s, just the discomfort, and the willingness to say know in spite of, to be honest, stupid pride. Riki hoped fervently that Iason would pass this tiny test he had laid out for him.

As the inner battle raged, Riki turned a bit afraid. Would he run slipshod over his principles just because he could get away with it and impress a person he only recently met?

He had finished making his coffee perfect (it was almost white!) and finally answered, voice tinged with a healthy amount of anger, “I’ll tell you later. I’ve told you about Raoul.”

As fast as he was able, Riki answered, “Sorry to push you about it. Thanks for telling me I was going too far.”

The heavy sigh released was all Riki needed to show just how difficult the admission had been. His vision of their Valentine’s Day date changed. He might just go straight vanilla. Then again, he didn’t want to give Iason a false impression of what he wanted out of a relationship. It was already a miracle that this shot in the literal darkness of a club actually sparked something, if heart emoji plus question mark meant anything, but that didn’t guarantee smooth sailing. How should he proceed now?

“Here is your phone.”

“Thanks.”

As Iason handed it over, he conspicuously turned down the volume. Riki checked his photos at once and saw the thumbnail he asked for. An arm had the turtleneck lifted, showing a peek at a toned abdomen _with a navel ring_ , and an impressive hard cock snug in comfortable silk and cotton underwear. They were so in the field of ‘just enough’ that they almost looked like panties. He could bite these off easy.

However, there was something else in his gallery. The thumbnail had looked like another picture of a nice package, but clicking on it, he realized it was actually a video. He watched, with accelerated passion, as a hand pulled out the dick and began working it furiously. Of course, Riki couldn’t hear a thing, but he definitely imagined a soft voice sighing in a pattern matching those strokes. Just as the tip began to release precum, the hand left to pull the turtleneck up, most likely in an unseen mouth. The camera began to shake ever so slightly, until it changed angle completely as, Riki assumed, Iason put a hand on a wall for support, the other jerking unevenly. This lasted for mere moments. Riki watched as Iason came, probably down into the toilet bowl, keeping for memory how Iason stopped touching himself completely for his orgasm. It was a full minute before Iason recovered enough to shut off the recording.  

“Was that adequate for your request?” Iason inquired, lips wrapping delicately around his fork.

Riki licked his lips. “More than adequate.”

“Do you need to use the restroom?”

Shrugging, he shook his head. “I have restraint, unlike some people here.”

Actually smiling, Raoul murmured, “It’s painful to see you try so hard, Iason. Ow!”

Raoul must have been kicked with a vengeance.

It was lovely for the remainder of breakfast. They exchanged the traditional information about majors: Riki’s psychology, Iason’s business management with a concentration on investment theories, and Raoul’s biomedical engineering. That naturally lead to questions about his pool expertise, where he explained how he’s been playing since he was six, realizing that he could use the extracurricular to get into a rather nice school like the one they were attending. His cue came from a youth tournament for teenagers who played pool, which he had won, insisting it was luck. (his lucky streak was insane that day). He still played for money but didn’t want to make a life out of it. He wanted to give back to the life that had treated him well.

Then came talking about life, how Iason and Raoul grew up in an _insanely_ wealthy neighborhood- old money and new money- with several other families (eleven) that just so happened to also grow up together. It lead to an almost closeted livelihood. Riki then asked why they weren’t Ivy-league. Their current school was good, but not that. The frank answer was that they had more control here, where Ivy League was a battleground none of the current generation wanted to deal with.

Of course, Triple A was under question. Here, Riki was most surprised. The two of them truly had no clue how _stupid_ people could be, and had expected a group of men much like themselves, or at least like their peers back in high school. Riki had to explain how people acted when they weren’t surrounded by friends they grew up with- like Sean, who Riki knew was from somewhere further down south.

He also, surprisingly, explained that some people’s entire personality was their money- the fact that all thirteen of them had lives and dreams not completely directed by their wealth, or the accumulation of it, was rare.

“What do you mean?” Iason had asked.

“Well, like, ya’ know the majors of everyone else in Triple A, right?”

“I don’t, actually.”

“I can bet you it’s all business management.”

“Like mine…” Iason said with no little amount of alarm.

“Yea, but it’s obvious you actually want to do it, instead of it’s the kind of major rich guys pick- which it is.”

Iason made a small sound of displeasure. “How would you know?”

“Tell me, have you read ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad?’”

“That’s a horrible book. It’s the absolute worst.”

“I can bet you that’s Sean’s Bible, that and, like, ‘Art of the Deal’-” Iason made a gagging sound. “‘Seven Billionaire’s Rules-”

“Stop before you make me lose my breakfast.”

“Reading self-help books in general is a toxic way to spend your time,” Raoul said dryly. “The main point of them is to make money under the guise of giving you information.”

Riki finished his coffee, slamming it down, “See? That’s not someone who was raised like Sean would say or think. Or any of those other goons at Triple A.”

“Can you explain Triple O? How you became its president? It was one of the most interesting developments on this campus since they upgraded the rec center,” Iason asked. From his frank happiness about the matter, it was something he’s been wondering for a long while.

And he actually went to the rec center?

Riki shrugged. “It just happened. My friends and I got more friends from the freshmen and sophomores, et cetera, and we would just hang out in droves. We _were_ partying where Triple A was a lot, but it wasn’t to be antagonizing or nothin’, but then Triple A started picking fights, and one o’ ‘em lost a tooth in a fight he should never done started, getting some guys expelled from the school.”

“Expelled?!”

“Oh, yea. Within the week.”

Raoul tapped his lip in contemplation. “I don’t remember anybody from Triple A being expelled this.”

“Yea, because nobody from Triple A was expelled.”

“Ah.”

That nulled the conversation pretty good, so Riki continued, “Soooooo, I started organizing, like, staying away from Triple A and actually having fun. One day Mimea was like, we’re like a fraternity ourselves, but the opposite, which got some of our Greek people to callin’ us Triple O, and people started callin’ me Prez, and I didn’t stop it.” He shrugged. “Then some assholes from other fraternities and sororities started comin’ to where we were and invitin’ Triple A, which got that unwritten rule going about how you can’t come from another Greek life place- unless, it’s like, some honor society sort of thing. Obviously, from last night, that doesn’t always work out, but hey, nothin’s perfect.

“Are any of you planning on becoming president of Triple A?”

“Haynes,” answered Raoul and Iason.

“Is he the one that kept trying to one-up you?”

Iason rolled his eyes. “That’s Orphe. Haynes was the one who was trying to ‘prove our worth’ with Triple A, not like we have to prove anything. They are lucky to have us.”

“I agree.” Raoul gathered his dishes on the tray he used to bring the drinks, adding the others’ finished dishes as well. After taking as much as he could, he stood first to place the dishes… somewhere.

“You see that window over there?” Riki pointed to a corner of the cafeteria. “There’s a conveyor belt in there that you put your stuff.” Noticing Raoul’s half-eaten ham, he added, “You’re technically supposed to put any food you haven’t eaten in the trash instead of leaving them on the plates.”

“Understood.”

When Raoul’s back was an adequate distance away, Riki snatched the far side of Iason’s lap, turning him completely to face him, feeling the tight muscles there quiver and flex. Fortunately, Iason had nothing in his hands to mess up his clothing.

“Who knew you were such a pervert.” Riki began stroking with his entire hand, up and down the boundary between Iason’s thighs, not going too far up and sending him to the bathroom again. “Did it turn you on so much taking just a little picture?”

Iason’s sudden inability to look into his eyes reared its head, even as he answered in a raspy whisper, “It took some time to send a good picture and I became… I started getting more aroused.”

“Hmmm? So you were trying to take the perfect picture and that turned you on?” Iason nodded. “Why did you record yourself masturbating? Not like I am complaining.”

“I wanted to- nevermind. Nevermind.”

Riki frowned as the cute blush lessened. “Nevermind because it is embarrassing or because it might make me upset?”

“Upset,” Iason whispered.

“Then please tell me.”

A hand come up to cover his face, hiding an almost ashamed expression. “I wanted to make up… for bringing Raoul.”

“Yea?”

“I felt like I had ruined something you planned.”

Yikes.

Riki sighed. “That does make me upset. Did you enjoy it?”

“Very much so.”

“Good.”

He grabbed Iason’s chin, demanding, “Look at me.” Even though Iason was looking down, it felt like looking into upturned pleading doe eyes that could knock the anger out of any person, which it definitely did, but he had to be firm. “Iason. I will tell you what I expect. You ain’t gotta figure out what I really want- and definitely do not act on guessin’ like that. I know you want to impress me. I do, too.”

“How come _you’re_ allowed to?”

“And you can try. But if trying means you doing things you aren’t sure you’ll enjoy, to ignore common sense, don’t. Were you a hundred percent certain when you did it? Or was your mind made up completely and you just had to see it through? You know what, answer that in your head. Just know this: what we do, what I ask of you, is entirely dependent on how much I can trust you to know when to tell me to stop. I can’t read minds, and I can’t stop you from doing things if I’m not there. Yea?”

“Y-Yes…”

“Yes?”

In a smaller voice, he barely put forth a, “Yes, Sir.” 

“Are you comfortable with that? With calling me ‘Sir’?”

Iason nodded.

“Do you know why I started it?”

Iason frowned in confusion. “I started it.”

Riki grinned, happy that Iason remembered. “Exactly. It seemed so natural for you, I’m happy to oblige.” He rub a thumb across soft lips, but he pulled back.

He saw Raoul standing awkwardly a few paces from their table. His arms were crossed with an expression on his face screaming, _Really?! I leave you alone for literally a minute!_

Riki did his best brownnosing grin.

That did nothing to stop Raoul’s worried question: “Iason? Are you all right? Is something wrong?”

Iason shook his head immediately. “Just a problem that I brought upon myself, is all.”

Riki hoped fervently that he didn’t cause Iason not confiding into Raoul. No relationship should be pursued alone, Riki had always believed. He didn’t believe anything should be pursued alone, but not everyone had his attitude of others. Katze, for example, could go an entire week without seeing another person and not a single person needed to worry.

“We can talk about it later.”

Oh, good. Nothing to worry about.

They left not soon after, Riki saying goodbye to Grace, who gave a rather knowing glance at Raoul and Iason. She was judging the hell out of him.

“What happened to boyfriend number one’s breakfast?”

Whoops. Raoul and Iason waited as he got some food for Guy, including the nasty lemon-poppy seed muffins, and some hot tea. He explained to the two of them how Guy was not a morning person- at this, Raoul told Riki helpfully that Iason was not a morning person, earning himself a glare instead of kick in the shin. They started explaining their friends in detail, with Riki telling them they had already met Mimea, Guy, Luke, Norris, Sid, and Daryl. He gave only some basic information on each of them. They returned the favor, with Riki realizing that all their names were super creative, commenting so. Both dismissed this opinion immediately, very much embarrassed.

“Then who is Langeais?” Iason asked.

“Grandma Langeais is the foster mother from the home. She’s retired now. Everybody that used to live under her call her Grandma now. They- like, the government people, didn’t like that when we lived there, but now, we’re good.”

This seemed to make them quiet yet again.

Still, it was good to get all the heavy stuff out of the way and focus on the fun. He didn’t even bother to formally invite Raoul and Iason to the dorm, counting on the hope that Iason and Raoul both would voice their concern, if needed. Plus, when they neared the dorm’s gate (where Riki used his ID to make turnstile spin), Iason definitely looked like he didn’t want to leave just yet.

With that, they made it into the dorm together, passing by other people finally getting ready to start their Sunday. Passing through the Commons, not too far from the communal bathrooms, showed people studying at the many tables. Here he went saying many hellos and asking whatups and doing handshakes.

“You’re like a prince,” Iason murmured.

“Ay! Look who’s talkin’!”

“Nonsense. I have nice hair and money. You have what matters.”

High standards of others and themselves, more for the latter.

They reached his dorm and he jimmied his key into the lock to get the door open.

“That doesn’t sound like it’s well-kept. Should you file a complaint to get it replaced?” Iason asked.

“Well, if our nonworking stove is any example, we would be getting it replaced by the time we graduate,” Riki joked, waving them inside.

They looked around the dorm, eyeing the tiny two-top stove and single-basin sink. Both doors to the available rooms were open, revealing tragically small rooms with two beds and a shared desk with two tiny chairs. Clothes were stacked around the single dresser and separate baskets. The carpet was threadbare, except for the hard encrusted, iron-shaped spot, from when an iron fell down in the night and no one noticed until Daryl walked in asking if something was burning.

Luke was brushing his teeth in front of the sink, and the sound of the microwave running came from his room.

“Morning, y’all!” Riki called.

“Morn’. Hey, uh, Iason and Raoul, yea?”

“Good morning,” Iason greeted. “My apologies on intruding upon your abode.”

As Luke's thin eyebrows raised, Riki went over Iason’s words again: _what matters_.

“Yea, don’t worry about the intrudin’ on abodes. Mi casa, somethin’, su casa.”

Sid came from the room with a hot pizza on a paper plate, waving. Guy came out like a zombie, nodding sleepily as he took his breakfast from Riki, taking everything straight back into their room and onto his bed. As usual, he started on the muffin.

Riki pulled out the tiny chairs for Raoul and Iason to sit, grabbing his laptop to put on some music, and then took out his phone.

“Mind if I getcha number, Raoul?”

“That is no problem.”

“Guy, can I give Raoul and Iason your number?”

“Mm,” Guy permitted, not even opening his eyes as he drank his tea.

Silence, just the slightest bit strained.

“I know there are exceptions,” Iason started as he looked around the room, “for I and the rest of us received them, but the fact that they force freshmen into dorms and then make them substandard, and that’s putting it lightly, is a travesty.”

Sid joined them on a chair pulled from his room. “They said it’s to help freshmen, since it’s so hard to live on your own right after high school.”

“Don’t you have to pay just as much as a regular apartment?”

“Uhhh…. Do we? Everything’s all together so we don’ have to worry about, like, gas and electric and shit.”

That didn’t seem to pacify Iason in the least; it was cute that his standards brought him to such lengths.

Sid shrugged his thickset shoulders. “It’s for less than a year. Next year, we gonna rent a house and we gonna forget all about this. Where do y’all live?”

“We have a house rented.”

“Cool. Where?”

“Eos Avenue.”

Everyone, including Luke in the other room and Guy from his stupor, shouted, “Eos Avenue?”

“Those mansions?” Luke asked, popping his head above Sid in the doorway.

“I wouldn’t call them mansions. They are less than four acres.”

“I bet they have, like, four rooms each.”

At Iason’s narrowed eyes, and Raoul’s widened ones, everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

“How many rooms they got?” Riki asked, interested in realizing just how big the gap between them were.

“Ours in particular have ten.” As if to lessen the blow, Iason clarified, “Thirteen of us live there, with Gideon and Hubert sharing the attic and Ruphias in the basement.”

“So it’s two floors?” Sid said around a mouthful of pizza.

“Well, counting the basement and attic, it would be four.”

“I bet it’s so scary alone at night.”

Iason thought for a moment. “I don’t think I’ve ever been at the house alone. I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t want to.”

Raoul, already chuckling, asked, “Remember when Leon was left alone and texted us like he lost his damn mind?”

Riki was graced by Iason’s intense smile.

“He thought he was going to get kidnapped! But he was too scared to leave!”

Guy, one eye open, added to the conversation, “Reminds me of when Daryl got all into that stupid game at that graveyard and got super fucking lost.”

“We all got lost,” Sid clarified.

“Yea, but he got lost alone until he got so scared and started screeeeeaming.”

“And that fucking scared the rest of us so bad!”

Although the lot of them were remembering different stories, they laughed together just as intensely as a shared experience, and, just as Riki expected, and hoped, they didn’t stop there. Even as Riki sort of checked out of the conversation to finish a quiz that was definitely not due in literally an hour, they continued sharing different stories, laughing together, explaining the ins and outs of the relationships between everyone in their groups.

And from this, he realized that there was little difference between the princely aspects of himself or Iason. Although a bit catty and vindictive, Iason was definitely evened out by Raoul’s sternness, as his friend never failed to let him know that he was being catty and vindictive. Still, they moved the conversation along until everyone was comfortable with the silence from those on their phones or laptops or dealing with food.

“Ugh!” Iason let out.

Raoul, not looking up from what looked to be an online poker game, asked from the corner of his mouth, “Is Gilbert complaining that we ate without him again?”

“He complained ages ago. You know, he only complains if I wake up early enough to go. If _I_ were to stay behind-”

“What was the _ugh_ about?” Raoul interrupted

“Sean. He says he’s _dreadfully_ disappointed about last night’s _performance_ and wishes to _review_ future prospects at a lunch. I can’t imagine going alone.”

“I will not go. I’d literally rather drink an entire gallon of that disgusting apple juice from the cafeteria.”

Iason turned around to Riki, fluttering his eyes adorably.

“I’m pretty sure Sean hates me,” Riki reasoned.

“Oh, yes, to your very marrow.”

“You know I don’t want to be no chess piece.”

“It’ll be nothing like that. Just trying to shorten my time with him to as short as fucking possible.”

“Sounds like you want to use me. Like a tool. Ooooor-”

Iason slapped a hand to his chest, gasping with great theatrics, “Oh, my! Sean says that he has no idea why I _let_ you win.”

Riki smacked his teeth. “Say what now?”

“He says, oh, Raoul, I just can’t read this without getting my head in all a tizzy.”

Raoul protested, “I’m winning! God, what is this. Why is Sean writing you an essay?” Reading aloud, he relayed the message in a bored tone, “‘I don’t understand why you let him win. Was it some deep plan to get him to feel guilty about my money so I wouldn’t have to pay? Because I can understand _that_ , but you really embarrassed Alpha Alpha Alpha doing it in front of everyone without explanation like that. That Riki doesn’t even have a last name because he and his friends come from some orphanage that’s been shut down because the people couldn’t take care of people.”

“Is he fucking talking about Grandma?” Sid demanded.

“‘They are the dregs of society. The worst this city has to offer, and you made us look like chumps. We need to talk about how to get them back.’” Raoul groaned. “He sent another message:

“‘We could do anything and get away with it. I know you think you’re bigger than all that, but my dad’s the one who brought this fraternity to campus and Dean Jupiter has given me free reign. I can kick you out if I want to. You better be glad I haven’t already kicked you guys out. How come you kept secret that y’all are gay?’ All caps, by the way. ‘That’s just unacceptable that our members may have been targets of gay persuasion.’”

“How come straight guys think gay guys want anything to do with them?” Guy wondered aloud. “Especially straight guys ‘bout as ‘tractive as crocs.”

“I like crocs,” Luke said.

“And that’s why you wear glasses.”

Raoul made a face, as apparently Sean sent yet another message. “Do I have to continue? My IQ is dropping by the second, and I have a great hand.”

Iason took his phone back, continuing himself, “‘I am what stands between you and the rest of your fag friends from getting kicked out so you better come out to lunch with me. You also better explain why you were dick-and-dick with Riki, too. That shit was nasty! Why didn’t you go after his girlfriend with the long hair and brown eyes- she was hot!’ All caps. Should I give him your number, Guy?”

“If you had any goodness in your soul, you would not,” Guy answered, putting his hands together in supplication.

“‘Even though I could-’” Iason grimaced. “Let’s keep it at that.”

Riki slapped his computer closed. “Keep going.”

Making another displeased face, Iason did so, “‘Even though I could fuck Riki. He’s the size of a kindergartner. I’ll fuck him, and his packrat girlfriend, and that little bitch Mimea. Hey, if you could get the three of them by themselves at the lodge, I can guarantee you’ll be president when I leave. Or just Mimea. She won’t be the first bitch to get her comeuppance.’”

Leaning forward, ears hot and throat tight, Riki told Iason, “Ask him what he means.”

In a few moments, Iason got an answer, “‘I mean like how we did those hoes from last night. Gonna get them fired, too.’”

“Change my mind. I’m coming with you to that lunch. Where’s it gonna be at?”

That set off a long conversation weighing the benefits of such a meeting (that corner backed by Iason, Riki and Sid) and the cons of the aforementioned (in that corner, Guy, Raoul, and Luke), until Sean sent pictures of women in compromising situations, including Mimea in a bathing suit, and quite ended the debate then and there.

Riki and Iason bided their time until then, with Riki, unfortunately, quite deeply placed in an angry mood. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know that Sean was a terrible douchebag, but it was worrisome, to say the least, that the only reason Riki would have known about him being incredibly sour over Mimea’s rejection was because he invited Iason that day. Plus, how did he get a picture of her in a bathing suit?

Sometime after that, but before the lunch, as numbers went around yet again, Sid was in the midst of adding a number to Riki’s phone as he fumed.

Suddenly, Sid was choking on air, all but throwing the phone onto Riki’s lap. He saw on the screen the delightful video that had been so graciously added to his library. Remembering what set this all in motion in the first place, he called down to Iason, “Hey, want to watch this video together?” He took his earphones out from his jacket, plugging it in while holding out an earbud to share. Iason joined him on his bed, face curious and unknowing, until he was settled and had a good look.

His face reddened immediately. He grabbed a pillow to place over his lap. Still, the taller man stayed seated, looking down with determination.

Riki pressed play.

With the phone so near the source of sound, he could hear every brush of fabric against more fabric and skin. When Iason’s fingers pulled himself out, Riki noticed their thickness, the manicured fingernails, a little scar by his wrist.

“Haaaah.” Iason had started masturbating, hiccupping and gasping. Every now and again, Riki heard a breathy murmur of his name, a happy surprise. He looked up at Iason to see his own reaction, finding rather wide eyes, as if the man himself was amazed that such a recording ever existed.

It seemed he reached completion much faster than before, but it was no less stimulating, especially as his name spilled out in short bursts.

Riki gave Iason the moment to recover himself afterwards, offering a hand for stability, while at the same time willing his own excitement to abate. Iason leaned over to rest his head atop his own, entangling their fingers together, and Riki without hesitation snuggled a bit closer, finding their bodies meshed perfectly.

 


	3. Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If there was a choice between three minutes with Riki and his college degree, which would Iason choose?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have imagined heavily about Iason, being the youngest Blondie, appeared in the world. Did Jupiter inject him with memories? Or did he have to learn? Did he always have an adult body, or was there a time that he was a wee bitty baby? Toddler Iason? Riki was definitely a baby at some point and I bet he was adorable. 
> 
> What am I doing again?

Iason rushed up the building stairs, almost counting the seconds of the three minutes he had left before he would be late to his first class, with the latte that made him late. Although, that wasn’t the only reason he was running behind, as he had overslept that morning, since the day before he woke up at an ungodly hour, decided to text Riki because he was just anxious to get in contact with him once more, and was invited to a breakfast he knew, especially now as he took the steps two at a time, he could have just rescheduled. He could feel his window closing in as other students rushed up and down and around with him.

Still, it had been a fantastic day yesterday, skipping the middle part where he was invited by Sean to lunch. The brunch café was admittedly very nice, with a number of people saying hello to Riki because apparently he had friends in every nook and cranny of the city. Yet, when Sean saw that he had come with Riki, he and the three others immediately left, coffees and teas left behind.

“Really?” Riki had muttered in disbelief.

They decided to pay the bill, even though they just received a free meal afterwards. And, of course, Riki asked him questions. His birthday, his favorite food, movie, music, places to visit. They were both similar in tastes, and both willing to try anything and everything new.

And then.

Favorite sex position, whether or not he’s ever deep-throated someone, ever came without ejaculating?

How many siblings and aunts and uncles, what his mom did, what his dad did, grandparents, anybody from his school attended the university- other than the twelve he already knew.

Would he ever wear a dress, pierces more than his navel, ever got a spanking?

He answered everything. It was simply a superficial inquiry of his life but it felt like he was spilling his secrets, secrets he may have always wanted to share, he just hadn’t known he wanted to just yet. Just sitting there talking felt like a grand adventure into the great unknown. Iason had never met a man, much less a lover, like Riki and he didn’t feel as if this was just him getting caught up in his emotions.

The way Hubert and Gideon acted upon knowing they had missed the splendor of Riki’s special brand of excitement proved that. And Gilbert’s pretending to be uninterested put the nail in the head. Gilbert wasn’t interested in men but he also felt like he had the best taste in lovers, having kept three women for three months each, all perfectly lovely ladies that eventually gave in to their suspicions that Gilbert was gay and was going to eventually leave them for Orphe.

Speaking of Orphe.

“The next time you get invited make sure we can come too!”

That’s what he had said after Iason and Raoul had returned home. Iason and Riki had parted ways an hour or so after lunch. Although Raoul had said that he was fine being alone with the new friends, Iason knew that Raoul’s meter for dealing with other people was getting dangerously low. Still, he returned to find Raoul in Sid’s and Luke’s room playing some video game. It was apparently so much fun that they needed more time to play. Which had everyone stuffed into the tiny room to watch Raoul play some terrifying game that Iason absolutely was not scared of in the least, especially not surrounded by people in daylight with the lights on. After a round of deaths, it was time to stop hiding behind- snuggling with Riki and answer his friends’ demands for his presence (or they could have just been trying to ruin his away time).

Before leaving, Iason very sternly placed the bet money in Luke’ hand, knowing it would get where it needed to go.

He later received an absolutely ridiculous video of Riki, Luke, Sid and even Guy- plus quite a few others- throwing the money around and dancing in their awfully tiny rooms, wearing sunglasses with rap music loudly playing in the background.

Then, much later, he was sent another video.

Riki, shirtless, in a darkened room and a smile on his face.

“’Night, Iason. Sweet dreams.” His lips puckered, smacked the tiniest bit as he sent a kiss.

Wrapping his hair, braided for the night, around his neck, Iason had sent his own good night. Winking this time.

Unfortunately he slept so deeply, no dreams made their way into his subconscious. His disappointment lasted for two minutes before he realized he had only forty-five minutes to get ready for class.

He finally reached the target third floor.

Then he remembered it was Monday, not Tuesday. Why did he think it was Tuesday? Who knows? Was it the coffee? Was it Riki? Did any of that make sense? Nope! In any case, it was Monday and his Monday class started an hour ago and there was no way he was walking in an hour late with a latte in hand. Could he throw away the latte?

He could. And?

Iason made his way back down the stairs. If he hurried, Hubert had an art class in ten minutes. He could just ask the teacher to crash for a few hours. If that didn’t go as planned, another twenty minutes and Raoul will be going to Calculus, or Leon will be going to Biology II-

“Iason?”

Or Riki.

Iason looked over the bannister to see Riki on the first floor, with a lovely grin and that nice jacket and he was wearing a black scarf and boots, and of course he had a backpack, big enough for both books and a laptop, the usual fare for a college student.

He was rushing down without a thought.

If he wasn’t rushing, he would have noticed the Triple A member, a sophomore like him, on the second floor. As it was, he passed him up and stopped abruptly, without realizing who it was, as the man called out, “Iason?”

He turned around and this _little fucker_ punched his latte so that its contents, all of it, splashed onto his pearl-colored double-breasted wool-blend blazer. BESIDES the fact that the jacket was now ruined, now he had to go all the way home to change! But first, he was going to knock this boy’s head off his shoulders.

Iason grabbed the offender by his throat.

“Iason! Don’t!”

Suddenly, Riki was beside him, a hand on his forearm. They locked fierce gazes.

“C’mon, this ain’t high school. You go to jail for fighting. I know you can afford bail and he can afford new teeth, but the jacket ain’t worth all that. Alright? Let go, let go.” Finger by finger, Iason released that red neck; he could feel the pulse. Riki turned to the man. “Hey, dude, what’s ya name?”

“Chad. Why the fuck are you asking?”

“Chad. Of course, it’s Chad. Okay, Chad. You need to clean this mess up.”

Chad scoffed, then realized Iason was blocking the way up, and Riki was blocking the way down. “Get out of my way. The jacket’s fucked anyway.”

“Yea, but, ya see-” Riki brandished his hand down Iason’s front. “-it’s kind of dripping off the lapels and there’s a puddle on the floor and spots on his shoes and you need to take care of it. _Now_.”

Riki’s voice took on an edge. It was like at the club, where he said, what was it?

_Glutton for punishment._

That was it. A voice as if he was about to punish someone. Iason’s heart was suddenly very loud in his ears.

Chad attempted one little breakthrough, but just one hand from Riki kept him still.

“How am I supposed to clean it up without some towels, dipshit?”

“You got a scarf.”

“You got to be kidding me.”

“I promise you on my Grandma life that I ain’t kiddin’. Hurry up, we got places to be. Or?” Riki gave Iason a knowing look. “I can let Iason kick your ass.”

A muscle in Chad’s jaw twitched. “Two on one? I’m probably stronger than you two fags put together.”

“So which is it? You want Iason to beat you alone, or you want to take us both on because you so damn strong?” Iason watched as Chad’s lips flapped wordlessly, with the most extreme amount of satisfaction in his soul. “Or. Just take off that scarf, clean things up, and we all go our merry way.”

Chad tarried still, as if not entirely believing that he had set himself up for failure so spectacularly.

“One,” Riki counted. “Two.” Iason cracked his knuckles, _ready_. “Thr-”

“Alright! Alright! Fuck!” Chad pulled his _white_ scarf from around his neck and immediately starting wiping-

“What the fuck are you doing? Dab. I know it’s ruined but don’t make it worse.” As Chad instantly followed orders, Riki told him, “Yea, let that soak it up nice and full. While you’re at it, say you’re sorry.”

“Sorry.”

“That ain’t enough. Look him in the eyes and say it.”

Hazel eyes and a small lipless mouth looked up. Iason lifted an eyebrow in expectation, mouth in a thin smile, and, damn, he was getting just the smallest bit aroused. Increasing quickly.

“I’m sorry.”

“I can’t hear you,” Riki warned.

Now he was very close to a full blown erection. Looks like he would be going to the bathroom anyway.

“I’m _sorry_.”

“Louder!”

Aaaaaand it was very fortunate that he was wearing a jacket that reached below his thighs.

“I’m sorry!”

“Good.”

Chad finally had everything soaked up in his scarf, face the color of a ripe tomato, but, just because Iason was the tiniest bit petty, the blond said, “You missed a spot.”

In no particular order, Chad pressed here and there.

“It’s still there.”

Riki started chuckling.

Chad angrily pushed up and down his jacket.

“Still there.”

“Are you fucking talking about the stain?”

“Oh! I suppose I am.”

“It’s not coming out,” Chad said between clenched teeth.

“Well, then, I suppose you’re just going to have to get me a new one.”

Now, here, Chad looked really terrified. “I…I can’t…How much was it?”

“Is. It is still worth ten thousand dollars. Although I do think Balenciaga is having a sale for Valentine’s. Maybe it’s eight now?”

Chad’s mouth mouthed the amount like an ancient magical curse. “I can’t afford that.”

“Oh?” Iason crossed his arms. “So you can ruin it but not pay for it. I can sue you for that much money, do you understand that? Or your parents anyway.”

“Look, look, please, I can’t, my mom will kill me. All I have is eight hundred, two hundred in cash. Maybe I can pay in installments.”

Riki burst out into such intense laughter he fell to his knees.

“You know what. I’ll just take the two hundred. Be grateful.” Chad’s fingers were shaking as he took out the money, and just as he handed it over, Iason demanded, “Are you grateful?”

“Jesus Christ, yes, I’m sorry, I apologize, I’m grateful.”

“Have a nice day.”

Chad ran down the stairs so fast he tripped, grabbing the rail before tumbling completely down the stairs like Iason wanted him to. Riki joined Iason watching his escape, and when he was out of sight, they looked at each other. Barely a second passed before they laughed together.

Between gasps, Riki said, “Oh, my god, he said, he said… He’ll pay in installments!”

“Hmph. So he can graduate before I get paid in full?”

“You stole that dude’s lunch money!”

“He gave me his down payment.”   

“Fuck, fuck, I’mma piss my pants!”

A professor threw a nearby door open. “Excuse me! I am trying to have class here!”

“Sorry!”

“Our apologies!”

Riki took his hand and pulled him downstairs, and they hurried away themselves, to the first floor, and, to Iason’s surprise and delight, into an empty classroom, a place dark but not in disuse. However, no one should be using the room anytime soon, not until the next traditional block of classes started in the building. They were still laughing in the dark.

Finally calming down, they ended up standing next to one another, leaning on the long table surrounded by office chairs, the kind suited for long, discussion-oriented classes.

“So, I actually saw you going up the stairs, but when I called you, you were already going back down,” Riki started.

“I thought today was Tuesday.”

Laughing, Riki said, “I’ve done that!”

“On a Monday?”

“Oh yea. Actually, a week after this new semester, I thought it was Tuesday, and then I remembered in time that it was Monday, and I went to the class that I had first semester. It’s good that all my teachers don’t count you tardy the first week.”

“Good to know that I’m not an idiot.”

“Never.”

Riki turned to stand in front of Iason. Without further ado, he began undoing the buttons of Iason’s blazer. There were already butterflies fluttering in Iason’s stomach. Just as he had it open, Riki pulled him by his hips to the professor’s desk. Unlike most classrooms, this one didn’t have a podium, but a desk and another twirling office chair. Into this chair Iason was gently shoved. Riki placed his hands on both armrests, his face just so close and smiling and handsome.

“You know, I know you get pretty excited by some of my little questions, or maybe you get off on answering them. Still. For you to get so thrilled by little ol’ me bullying Chad.” Riki licked his lips. “Makes me wonder.”

“Wonder what?”

“Whether or not you want me to bully you.”

Iason’s mind short-circuited for a bit.

“What?”

Riki pulled back, folding his arms. “I kind of want to experiment. How long do you have?”

Trying to guess what could possibly be next, Iason answered, “I don’t have class until two this afternoon.” He came up blank.

“Aw. nice Me, too. So that should definitely give you enough time for this, get back to your house, and return, yea?

“I trust your judgement,” Iason replied with a shrug.

“Good. Good, good.” Riki rubbed his hands together as if he was about to start on a feast. Iason hoped he was just the snack he was looking for. “Rub your nipples through your shirt.”

“Rub? Rub?” A pause. “Rub?”

“Yea, feel ‘em up how you like it.”

How he liked it? Iason had honestly never worked his own nipples, and with others, well, actually, no one has ever touched his nipples. Come to think of it further, there seemed to be a stigma against messing with a man’s nipples in general…

All that for Iason to realize that he didn’t know, exactly, how he liked his nipples to be touched. Yet, the first brush he placed upon on his chest made his nipples hardened almost painfully, his cock pushing up once again against the fabric of his pants. His eyes on the desk, he pulled his nipples. The immense pressure just a minor amount of pinching gave him, even through his shirt made him also moan. Even if Riki and he had a falling out, he was going to get his nipples pierced.

“Look at me.”

The darkness of the room seemed to actually bring out Riki’s dark eyes even further, the glare of the light through the classroom door’s tiny window giving a sparkle. His eyes were on Iason’s hands, making them falter, and the blonde’s eyes rushed to the safety of the desk once more.

“At me, c’mon.”

He tried, realizing, perhaps, this was where the bullying started.

Again, his eyes moved to the side, even as his face burned with embarrassment on multiple levels: why couldn’t he keep his eyes straight, why were his nipples all of a sudden so sensitive, how could he possibly be this hard?

“Can you do it? Or do we have to stop?”

Capitalizing on this brief respite, Iason closed his eyes completely. “Are those the only two options?” he whispered.

“Yep.”

“Truly?”

“Truly.”

Alright, all he had to do was bring his gaze up just a few inches. Just a few goddamn inches.

There! There his face was.

“Good boy. Lift up your shirt with one hand, play with that sexy ring.”

He thought his navel piercing was sexy? How did he know it was there?

Iason suddenly remembered masturbating for all posterity. If his mother ever found out that he had done this, he’ll be grounded from two hundred miles away. She will hire someone to watch his every move. God, he actually made an amateur porn video.

He still hadn’t told Raoul.

Pulling the ring made all worrisome thoughts suddenly fly from his head. It literally felt like a strike right down his dick.

“Pull them both at the same time,” Riki ordered breathily. Iason followed through immediately, huffing out a surprised gasp at the unique sensation. “Pull your shirt up over your nipples. Goddamn, look at you, you work hard for that, don’t you?” Riki’s cock looked rather trapped in his delectable black jeans. Getting a good look, Iason saw that it was rather…

Large.

Briefly, he thought of how the edges of that cock would fill his mouth completely. “I need to… I need to take myself out.”

“Alright. It won’t be anything I haven’t seen.” Iason reached down to free himself before he ruined a pair, as Riki taunted, “You know someone can come in at any time. It’ll probably be up to me to make sure no one sees you like this. I don’t know though- hey, don’t touch yourself yet. How about you just take off your pants.”

Iason paused.

“Is that too much?”

To sit mostly naked in a classroom? Play with himself with no idea when everything will be cut short because people will legitimately need to use the class eventually?

“No. Not too much. Just.” A little bit lightheaded. He got his breath, but then, before he could convince himself that he’ll definitely get caught, he pulled off his pants and underwear, then his shoes, folding them and leaving them on the desk. He won’t get caught, and even if he was caught, Riki wouldn’t let anyone see him. Right? Right.

He used his jacket to sit on and felt the fire spread from his stomach up and down his legs as Iason followed Riki’s hungry gaze.

Now he was leaning down and looking straight down between his legs.

“Your dick is twitching. Do you wax? Wait, nevermind, I see your hair now. So soft-looking…”

Iason tried, “You can touch if you want to.”

“I know,” Riki answered with a smile. “Now. Use just the tips of your fingers from your knees and drag them up until they reach your nipples. Nice and slow.”

He started to do so. He was so sensitive, it felt as if he was tickling himself. Caressing.

“Your legs are shaking. Fuuuu,” Riki blew a breath between, up and down. “Now, you’ve got goosebumps.

“Pull them.”

Iason’s hands had returned to his chest. He did as he was told.

“Harder.”

Sweat built across his brow as he clenched his teeth.

“Does it hurt too much?”

“No!” Iason answered immediately.

“You’re not leaping before you look, right?”

“Yes. Yes, that’s right. I’m not, it’s, it’s just, rather, intense. A bit breathless.”

Chuckling, Riki palmed Iason’s thighs, finally touching him, finally actually touching him, making him swallow his next breath, and now he was panting audibly. “There ya go. Some breath. Can you pull just a bit more? See how well they stretch? Feels good doesn’t it?”

They ached.

“Hold them right there.” Riki’s hands roamed upwards- the day before he had done something similar, and Iason had already imagined a thousand times those hands on his bare skin. Truth was always better than fantasy.

Riki moved upwards, blowing a hot breath all the way. The muscles in his stomach trembled, almost wobbly.

Then.

His tongue reached out and licked both the tips of his fingers and the tip of his right nipple. He released his hold as Riki’s mouth encompassed the nub entirely, sucking hard enough as if he wanted to actually swallow it. Yesterday that mouth had kissed his back through a thick sweater and now it was sucking his bare front. Iason went nearly limp. He held onto control by the very skin of his teeth.

“Wet already?”

Those hands cupped his tight testicles.

“You gonna come?”

Iason answered like a lightning, “Yes! Just touch me.”

“Hm… Maybe if you ask me real nicely.”

“P…Please?”

“Good start.”

Iason took a breath. “Please touch me.”

Riki squeezed a thigh, digging in his nails just a bit. “I am touching you.”

“You _are_ a bully.”

“That’s the plan. So?”

“Please touch my… my penis.”

A single finger touched the middle of his erection.

“I am going to murder you,” Iason hissed.

Riki backed away completely, informing him, “Now that wasn’t nice at all.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, come back, please?”

Riki looked at his fingernails, doing an irritating little whistle.

“Please, Sir?”

“Hm?”

“Please, Sir, can you…” Just a little more, and then he could, he could do it. He’ll let him… “Can you please make me come?”

“Mmm, yea, I could.”

“Please do it, please?”

Riki was back to kneeling, and it took quite a bit of his common sense to keep him from grabbing that much smaller body with both his legs, and keep him there until he did what Iason wanted.

That would ruin the fun however.

“Do you forgive me? Please? Just-”

Riki swallowed him down in one swift move- how did he- so quickly- it was all the way down- so tight and wet!

“Ah! Fuck! Riki!”

He was on the precipice for the longest, before he whimpered with an almost painful release, and soon was gasping desperately: “Riki, enough! Please, enough!” His throat was swallowing, squeezing in such a fast rhythm, he briefly thought of Riki as a tiny sucking machine. He tried to push that head away.

Riki’s grabbed him by the wrists, stopping any stopping, and still swallowing until it felt, amazingly, like Iason was coming again. Another whine, much tighter, his eyes tearing up, his mind bursting like a volcano, then went instantly to slushy warm lava. Boneless, he registered Riki pulling off like a sharp kick. “No more…Please… I can’t.”

Riki took his hands, interlacing their fingers, kissing his neck with gentle snowy kisses. “I see, baby, I see. You did so good.”

“Thank you…For…”

“Ssshh. You’re welcome. Thank you, too, for doing this with me. You’re such a good boy. So brave.”

Brave? Good? The words swam through his mind like lazy koi. He felt a bit drunk. Not a bit, incredibly, incredibly…

The intoxication over his own predicament had him completely not hearing the door opening. However, he did hear Riki’s throaty, “Mr. Jones!”

The lights were switched on. Iason was slowly but surely becoming cognizant of the fact that he was in no shape or form fit for public viewing. As shoes clopped across the floor, he realized that Riki was not in the position to kick out the person.

Did he say mister?

“Riki! You scared me! How many times do I have to tell you to call your professors, professor?” The old man demanded. “What are you doing here standing in the dark? Practicing for your speech course?”

“Ah, no, just playing on my phone with my friend here. We both have _our jackets on-_ ” Iason took the hint, kneeling below the desk to wrap and button up his blazer. “-and should be getting out your hair soon.” It was long enough to make it look like he was wearing some feminine fashion, as if he had a skirt underneath. Good thing he was very comfortable with his masculinity and as in touch with his feminine side as he was able. He hurried put on his shoes, taking the time to tie them.

“Iason! Professor Swan just asked about you. Said you missed class? Playing hooky with this troublemaker here?”

Riki immediately started walking towards the door. Iason followed behind with his face on fire. “Oh, c’mon, Prof’, I don’t make no trouble.”

“You make nothing but trouble, and you know it.”

“My feelings hurt!”

“I’m sure. The two of you have a good rest of your day- and Riki?”

Both Riki and Iason turned around to the man.

“I will be giving you a zero if you have Daryl write your next essay, you hear me?”

“Aaaaah, ‘kay. Thanks for that B, tho’. Later!”

Jones wagged his finger, looking up over his glasses with a suspicious eye.

Students were already filing in around them and they let some pass before making an escape out the room, down the hall, running around the ramp and making a beeline for one of the parking lots.

“Where’s your ride? Mine’s at Sundance.”

“So is mine.”

Riki laughed lowly. Grabbing him around the waist, he asked up into his ear, “Ready for another adventure, or do you want to go around?”

“It’s cold…”

“Whichever you want. My kicks have been got, but I’ll never say no to more.”

“An adventure it is,” Iason announced.

Just as he said this, as if God Himself was listening and wished to test his will, Sean was walking across the campus, and caught sight of him. Directly across from him, Orphe, Gilbert, and Aisha were all sipping their own lattes, and caught sight of him.

Riki looked right, then left, the right again, then left again. “Really? You’re bad luck today, Iason.”

“I’m inclined to agree.”

Alas, they awaited their fate together, even as the fresh winter breeze caused the very light hair on his legs to stand up. He now understood a lady’s choice to wear leggings. There seemed to be something nagging in the back of his mind, like he was forgetting something.

“What happened to your pants?” Aisha asked, drooping eyes focused on his bare legs.

Wait a minute.

“Iason Mink!” Sean yelled out.

“Sean Something,” Iason greeted back.

Aisha guessed, “I’m sure it’s Gregor. He has two first names.”

“Davis?” Gilbert said, not looking up from his phone.

Looking at the same phone, Orphe added, “Louis?

Sean yelled with not-concealed-at-all fury, “It’s Craig! Sean Craig! Iason! You fucked with my cousin!”

“Ew!” all three of his friends voiced.

Iason sighed, thinking that it was way too cold for this sort of bullshit. “Not like that, and you know it.”

Sean stood before him, finding the stain across his jacket. “Now that everyone knows how you really are- you’re even wearing a skirt- you think you can just treat everyone like peons?”

“If the shoe fits,” Iason answered, causing his friends to laugh loudly and without the slightest care of whether or not Sean could hear them. 

“I told you. I’m in charge of Triple A, under the oversight of Dean Jupiter, and I know your mother wants you to be nice to Ms. Jupiter, right?”

Iason didn’t bother answering. Dean Jupiter made it a point at every given moment to mention his mother and his expectations of him, and it was obvious to everyone but idiots that Dean Jupiter would whisper every single one of his discretions into his mother’s ears, or at least into her voicemail.

Sean still had more to say: “Just how would Dean Jupiter react that you were grinding against some stranger in the middle of a club? Your mother?”

Shrugging, Iason shot back, “They’ll think you’re lying.”

“With a video like this?”

Sean opened up his phone, eventually opening up a very clear, well-shot video at the most perfect angle. Iason couldn’t remember who was standing right there at the moment, and he did have the means to find out from the club, but if there was this video going around, no matter Sean’s current plans, anyone could eventually use the recording against him.

This he could not abide.

Sean put away his phone, front right pocket, pocket didn’t have a zipper, pocket not quite big enough to hold it entirely-

“Not feeling so high and mighty now, are you?”

“No, I am not.”

“I think you owe my cousin an apology. And his money back.”

“Of course. Give him my number.”

The wind blew out of Sean’s sails, as he was obviously expecting a bigger fight and Iason seemed much more agreeable than he thought he believed he would be.

Looking between them all, Sean sniffed. “Alright. That’s what I thought.”

Do it, Iason thought, do it, do it, do it.

Sean walked past him, and he did it: Sean knocked his shoulder, really rammed it, into Iason’s side.

Iason stayed silent, standing there waiting, until risking a look over his shoulder and seeing Sean gone.

Riki touched his hand, the other hand coming around his hips for a warm hold. “You okay?” The form of worry across his eyebrows made Iason realize just how nice they were. Did he pluck them?

Taking out his hand, holding Sean’s phone, Iason answered proudly, “But of course. I’m not letting him ruin my damn day. Not after I’ve had so much-” He pushed tighter into Riki’s arms. “-fun. I already have a plan brewing, and if Chad had just stayed in his fucking lane, he wouldn’t be caught up in it.” With that, Iason dropped the phone and stepped on it several times, even though the first stomp more than broke the phone to pieces. He then gathered the remains and dropped it all into a nearby trash can.

He turned to see Riki’s astonished face.

Had he gone too far? It was an awful waste, and Sean may actually need his phone for an emergency and-

“Goddamn, you have no chill!” Riki’s grin bordered on maniacal. “Does the plan include breaking all of Triple A’s phones?”

“No, no, nothing like that. Well, unless they start waving shit in my face.”

Orphe came close with Aisha and Gilbert.

“Should I get Gideon in between the twins again?”

Aisha complained, “This must mean they’ll try to get us to turn against you. Stupidity.”

Gilbert was much more positive: “After this, we can gain control of Triple A.”

Riki questioned cheerfully, “Anything I can do?”

Iason churned some ideas, finally deciding on, “If you can make an effort of your friends hanging out with mine, especially if neither of us are there, it’ll keep Sean continually annoyed.”

“What good will that do?”

“Nothing at all, but the thought of Sean annoyed gives me great pleasure.”

In all seriousness, Iason knew he was in quite a pickle, a pickle that his friends may have to share, and, of course, Riki, and then further Riki’s friends. The blonde knew that the only thing that was keeping Sean back was the undeniable fact that he wanted to be in the middle of their thirteen, that even a single one of them would boost his connections tenfold if given the opportunity. He’s been trying to be Iason’s best friend since the first week of Iason’s freshman year. Too bad he was frankly an insufferable city boy who liked to use people blatantly for his own benefit. Then his entire control of his fraternity made more insufferable city boy brothers, and his love cascading down from Dean Jupiter made his ego three times as big.

In any case, it was going to happen sooner or later, one of the blondes permanently popping his little bubble.

Superficial plans were made among the five of them, with Riki not seeming even a bit like a fish out of water.

“Shit! We’re going to be late!” Orphe shouted. “This will the third time this month.”

“Ah. Isn’t five a drop in a half letter grade?” Aisha asked, already walking forward to their destination.

“Yes! Let’s go! See you later, Riki!” Orphe blew a kiss at Riki, who caught it, shrugged, then ate it.

Iason took the bait, “What about me?”

“See you later, bitch!”

“Thank you, Orphe.”

They were going their separate ways, and now the two of them were yet again alone, Riki and him hip to hip, with him nearly naked underneath his jacket.

“Are you too cold?”

“No, not at all.” Truthfully, the question alone set his heart aflame.

“Good. I wouldn’t mind sucking you off again to warm you up.”

“Tempting, but I believe I have met my limit.”

Riki laughed aloud at his. “Oh, you have not. I promise you. I know you nearly passed out before, but it was only because it was your first time. If you had told me yesterday that you had a certain proficiency in coming that quickly in such a short time, one more would have been just perfect.”

Iason couldn’t even think it. It was like the concept of eternity, interesting in theory, but reality might be more intense than idealized, to an impossible degree. He was still trying to imagine it all as they finally reached the parking lot without further disturbances.

“Let’s take my ride,” Riki called, leading him to the far end. To the bikes, including the motor ones.

“You said your car was here,” Iason protested.

“I said my _ride_ was here.”

“You’re not nearly as cute as you think you are.”

“Just try it for a bit. I wanna if we can get away with it.”

Looking around for any witnesses, finding some, but far away, Iason counted to five and hurried up onto the bike, feeling his jacket go far up his legs, a breeze across the lower half of his buttocks and the cold seat on his testicles. He was just about to disembark and never do this again when Riki ordered in a horny whisper, “Hold onto the handles for me,” even as he took out his phone. Iason once again checked for people, then held onto the bars, praying that bad luck wouldn’t hit him in the gut yet again. Riki started taking pictures from all angles, smiling all the while.

Perhaps… It is worth it.

“Look at me like you’re going to run me over with the Ninja.”

“Ninja?”

“The bike’s a Kawasaki Ninja.”

Iason had not the slightest notion of motorbikes, other than the fact that he should always look thrice for them on the road.

“I don’t know what that would look like,” Iason said, a bit nervous and embarrassed at being unable to perform.

“Look at me like you’re going run over Sean with it.”

“Easy,” was the automatic reply. He didn’t know exactly the shape of his face, but it must have been what Riki wanted because he was saying under his breath, “You’re so damn sexy. So fucking sexy. This more than makes up for it.”

“It? Makes up for what?” Did he do something wrong and Riki was keeping it from him?!

“I forgot to take pictures of you in the chair. One more thing, and I swear we’ll be done.”

Breathing deeply, Iason nodded.

“Open your jacket.” Riki stood straight ahead of him, framing him in his phone. “Spread it open so I can see everything.”

All things considered, it wasn’t that much different to what was already happening. Anyone who could see anything special would have to be standing right in front of Riki, of course an impossibility at the moment. That sound reasoning had him opening his jacket.

Then pausing as he realized how erect he was. Well, he was a young man, but would Riki get excited enough to make him come again?

“You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, ya know.” The phone fell to Riki’s side, and his other hand went to his hip in an almost instructional gesture.

Iason shook his head. “It’s not that. I’m just… aroused again.”

“That a problem?”

“I don’t…” He was losing wind. “I can’t…. again.”

“You can’t… Open up your jacket again?”

Iason shook his head, dismissively answering, “Nevermind.”

Riki grabbed his hands before he could undo a single button.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

“I’m… hesitant to… do it a third time…”

“Do it?” Riki’s deciphering gaze finally figured it out. “Oh. Funny how you’re _hesitant_ to come again, not getting naked in the cold like this. I understand, ‘kay? Just a couple pictures to help me sleep at night.”

Guaranteed safety, Iason easily opened up, the freezing cold doing nothing to abate his excitement, not as Riki breathed deeply, as if calming himself, and looked ready to eat him alive.

“Your nipples are so hard. You say you couldn’t go a third time, but that dick looks ready for some lovin’. That’s a cute pout.”

“I’m not pouting.”

“Hm, guess I need glasses. Oh, damn, okay, one last pic, sit up and like, do a sexy hold of your hair.”

“Like… Like a model on a beach?”

“Exactly!”

Iason did his best- bringing his arms up brought his jacket up even higher- gathering his hair, realizing that his straight locks did not quite work in the same fashion as the luscious curls of the average bikini model, so instead he let his hair drape across his forearms.

“A little smile for me. Yea. That’s nice. Thanks a bunch.”

How could Riki keep an erection and not want to come within, at least, hours? Were the kicks all he needed? Riki would ask him if he wanted more, right? There was nothing to say otherwise.

Still, Iason worried.

Riki helped him from off the bike, kissing his neck, nuzzling almost like a happy horny rabbit, even as Iason leaned on him for some balance.

“So where’s your car?”

“Over…Over there.”

They were walking again.

“Is…Is your car that Corvette?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

Riki whistled, as if catcalling the vehicle. “So…Like… Are you _really_ in the mood to be driving aalllll the way back, because if you need to rest, I’ll be happy-”

“No need to be coy. You can drive it.”

“Yes! Fucking hell yea! Yea, yea, yea.”

Iason gave him the keys in the middle of his conniption, pressing the button to raise the doors and turn on the car, so that he could get inside and turn on the heat. He saw Riki eye the hood, and then, unable to fight the urge, he opened it up to see, whistling at whatever car parts struck his fancy. He closed the hood as if it was brittle piece of ice. Then, the hood itself he looked at, giving Iason a grin.

“I’m not getting out of this seat, Riki.”

“You right, you right, maybe tomorrow.”

Iason rolled his eyes as Riki continued to fondle his car before finally sitting down in the driver’s seat. Noticing it was on, he still knew to put the key in to drive properly. The Corvette roared to life.

“Oooo, that purr feels amazing.” Riki luxuriated in the ‘purr’.

“If you don’t get moving, I’ll just start bringing my Prius instead.”

“Ay, ay, ay, we good. What side of Eos are you on?”

“What side?”

“Riverside? Downtown?”

“Ah, Riverside. We’re the ‘house on the hill’?” Iason knew that was the thing to say in the city to the locals, and he stretched his legs to get ready for the relatively long ride.

Wait a tick.

Riki said, still glowing with excitement, “Shit, for real? I thought that mansion was reserved for the mayor.”

(Once more distracted) Iason chuckled. “Apparently that’s a common rumor. No, that house is for people who could afford it.”

“Are you saying the mayor couldn’t?”

“I’m saying that the political life doesn’t pay nearly as much as it should.”

The two of them laughed. Riki started into gear, making the tires squeal.

“You want to pay for new tires?!” Iason demanded, glaring as Riki whispered a sorry or two. “Fucking tearing through my tread!”

Iason noticed that Riki was taking the long way around to the house, down a coincidental stretch of open road near the school, past a couple of actual horse farms. Of course, Riki started going over the speed limit. Iason let him have his fun, leaning back into the seat.

That’s what he planned until he heard the continuous roar. He opened his eyes to check how fast-

“Riki. My eyes must deceive me, because it almost looks as if you’re going 140 miles per hour.”

“Maybe you need glasses,” Riki joked, giggling.

“Maybe you need to walk?”

“Just until this road stops. ‘Kay?”

“Put on your seatbelt! I _swear_ , I will make you walk.”

Riki nodded, hurriedly putting on his seatbelt and slowing down to a normal level- eighty. Iason gave Riki a warning look.

Sixty.

Speed limit was forty-five.

Giving in, Iason waved him forward, turning on his playlist to give a good atmosphere.

The rap song that came up made Riki start speeding (more) again, pumping his shoulders to the beat even as he expertly changed gears. Upon getting near to the hill, he slowed down perceptibly, and Iason saw the police car in hiding, then he floored it over the bridge, up the road and even kept up the speed as they made their winding way up the hill.

Finally, the bordering-on-terrifying car ride was done, and they were in the immense driveway of their temporary home.

Upon leaving the car, Riki said to his Corvette, “Don’t worry, darling, we’ll be right back, okay?”

“You will not be driving,” Iason told him, unlocking the front door and holding it open for Riki.

Riki slipped into his arms, utterly bereft like a child not getting that third lollipop. “What? Why? C’mon! You know, I think I can outdrive that police car down there with the speed of the hill-”

“That’s why. Keys.”

Slowly handing them over, Riki asked, “What would it take for you to let me drive again?”

“An updated driving certificate from a reputable driving course.”

“Okay!”

He said that entirely too quickly, but Iason let that slide, leading the way to his room (the one with the biggest windows facing the river, and yet the smallest bathroom), immediately going into his walk-in closet for a new jacket. His pants are black, but the whole black and white look wasn’t looking so hot- this is why wearing white was such a hassle. Maybe he should change his pants?

His pants.

His _underwear._

“Riki!” Iason screeched.

“What! Jesus! Fuck! What, what?!”

“My pants!”

Riki looked down at his legs. “Yea, you’re not wearing any.” Grinning he added with his usual teasing, “Remember, you took them off in the- ooooooooooooooooooooooh.”

Iason buried his face into his hands, and then, with finality, he threw off his jacket, his shirt, his gloves, his shoes, and went into his king-sized bed with 1200 count Egyptian cotton with his custom pattern of golden squares, throwing the comforter over his head.

“So… Just fuck this day?” Riki asked. Iason could hear him taking off shoes, clothes.

“Yes,” Iason answered,

Entering with him underneath the blanket, Riki slowly pushed his body across the sheet, as if making sure every inch of his skin could feel the quality. “I can jackoff to this. This is what clouds feel like.”

“You do realize that if you’ve ever walked in fog, you’ve technically walked in a cloud, right?”

“For real?”

Laughing a little, Iason found Riki’s face, and hand. “Yes.”

“Well, damn.” Riki was actually pouting. “Now that I think about it tho’…Whatchu lookin’ at?”

Trying hard not to seem to put out by it, Iason replied as evenly as possible, “You don’t have any piercings.”

“Yes, I do.”

Iason checked what he could see of his chest as Riki rolled up closer to show him his front. A corded torso, abs to grate cheese with and ginormous dick with a piercing in its tip, peeking up from a bed of foreskin.

Iason left the bed.

“Iason?”

The blond walked naked to Griffith’s room, looked around, found the ruler he was looking for and came back to Riki. Throwing off the blanket without preamble, he came up close to the _completely flaccid_ dick, straightening it up next to the ruler. Even though he knew the number was going to be high (too high!) it was still amazing to see the tip reach eight inches. Eight. EIGHT. _EIGHT!!!!!_

“You alright down there? Not that I blame you. It’s the usual reaction.”

“I can’t believe your past lovers could… endure… this.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a love ‘endure’,” Rik explained, smiling like any person who was proud of their girth down below. “The last time I fucked anybody was back in high school, freshman year. A guy I started dating was curious about bottoming and really wanted to try.”

“And?” Iason still had eyes on the penis, curiously pushing away the foreskin with gentle strokes.

Riki turned to get more comfortable. “He came twice after me fingering him so, yea. After that, he was pure bottom.”

“But not to you.”

“Feckin’ hell naw, were his words exactly.”

“Which…” Iason felt the cock hardening in his hands, sincerely hoping the organ was only a shower and not at all a grower, believing it has quite made its point already. “Which do you prefer?”

“Definitely top.”

“So you prefer to top, but you haven’t since you were thirteen or fourteen?”

“Long an’ short, yep. Mmmmm, that feels pretty nice. Granted, I’ve never had sex with anyone outside my age. I’m sure there’s middle-aged guy with plenty experience who would love a piece of me.” Closing his eyes, and folding his arms underneath his head, Riki asked, “What about you?”

“I’ve… never bottomed,” Iason admitted, a bit embarrassed once again.

“Because?”

“I didn’t think it’ll feel good.”

“So, like, you have limited experience with anal sex.”

“Nonexistent experience.” Iason began stroking with more force, enjoying the feel of someone fully intact in his palm. It was similar almost to touching his sheets, but with a pulse and radiating heat, and with Riki looking at him with cool eyes and a slight smile.

With that smile, Riki asked, “Not even a little self-explorin’?”

Iason shook his head, realizing this was the first time he’s ever told anyone. Fortunately he’s never had the opportunity to confess, as somehow he had always landed on men happily willing to take him in, and not a single woman in his life offered to try. For some reason as well, although he definitely thought about it, he could never bring himself to masturbate like so.

“And of course you want to try me on for size, despite you running to get a ruler at the first.”

“I wouldn’t mind trying,”

“Mmm… I’ll think about it.”

Iason supposed that was fair. Riki has shown that he was nothing but the generous and conscientious lover. Plus, Iason didn’t want to push him into anything he was uncomfortable with, even if he would be on the receiving end of the discomfort, or maybe just because of that fact. Still, it’s been bothering him that he has largely been on the receiving end of any comfort or discomfort.

Still, he asked, “You said you’ve had your kicks.” Iason was terribly tempted to grab the ruler again as the fully fledged erection pressed aside the folds of foreskin. “But I don’t feel as if…”

Riki finished, “That I’ve been fairly reciprocated. That’s the usual response.”

“The usual response?”

Riki took a long breath, blinking up at the ceiling as if up there would offer him to strength he needed to carry on, until he sat up, pushing Iason’s hands away from his still erect cock to hold his hands. Iason suddenly realized Riki smelled like lavender, and had rather roughly callused hands. Before, when those hands were on his thighs, he was only focused on finally being touched, but now he wished he could have relished the almost scratchy feeling.

“Yea,” Riki murmured, “The usual response. You see, I’m not randomly telling you do crazy things just because of the dare.”

Iason asked quietly, “You’re not about to say something that’s going to make me hate you, are you?”

“Whatchu mean?”

“Like… For example, you do this all the time with men you’ve just met?”

“Oh!” Riki’s surprise washed away Iason’s fears immediately. “Oh, no. The last time I attempted doing this with someone I was actually dating was, shit, with Guy, high school. Senior year.”

“You and Guy were together?”

“Yea. Basically… We broke up over this. The kinky stuff. Well, I wanted to try but he didn’t, and we dated for like a month after that before he said it was just better if we stayed friends”

“Ah. That is the word for it, isn’t it? Kinky?”

Riki nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yea, alternative lifestyle, underground life, whips, chains, handcuffs. BDSM, et cetera. I’m pretty damn deep into it.”

Iason tried to think of how this information changed anything at all, but instead inquired curiously, “How deep?”

“Deep enough that I chose a profession someone said works really well with the lifestyle. ‘Course, I’m legit interested in becoming a psychiatrist, but I’d be lyin’ if I said that it’s my dream job that I’ll sacrifice everythin’ for, or any shit like that. So what I mean by all this… This isn’t all just fun and games for Valentine’s… I kind of- No. I really want to do all this… With you, for as long as possible?”

Smiling, Iason said, “Are you asking me?”

Riki chuckled, burying his head into Iason’s shoulder.

Iason didn’t want to belittle what obviously was a serious topic to Riki, so he started carefully with, “I know this is important to you. I do understand why you’re so serious all of a sudden. However… You do understand that the only reason I’m here is because I actually do enjoy what we’re doing? I would never have put a name to it until you would have told me like you’ve done now, but I was enraptured by you because of the very actions that would perhaps destroy any other relationship.

“I might be perhaps looking before leaping, as you so aptly put it, but besides your lovely personality, the unknown extremes you think of- I look forward to them.”

Riki pulled back, still looking a wee bit nervous, and told him, “Well. Let me tell you some important terms here. Doms. Dominators. Dominatrix.”

Iason whispered, “I suppose that’s you.”

“And Submissives.”

“Hmmm.” Submissive didn’t quite sit well with him.

“Ah, you don’t like that?”

Changing the subject, Iason clarified, “So Subs often react that why to your dick.”

Riki’s eyes twinkled, but he humored Iason anyway, “Yea. A lot of Subs have the misconception that they have to bottom just be dominated.”

“Are you implying that you are a power bottom?”

“An expert.”

“Alright, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way.” Iason reached between Riki’s legs.

He was stopped. “Wait, that’s it?” Ri8ki’s eyes were wide with disbelief, it was actually rather cute, if Iason wasn’t determined to give him the handjob of his life and be told that he was the first and only one to do so.

Iason tried to keep the impatience from his voice: “What more is there to say?”

“No questions? No demands? Guarantees?”

“Nothing I can think of at the moment.”

The poor guy let out another deep breath, falling forward again as if he was being held by puppet strings that have just snapped all at once. Iason wondered if Riki had been carrying that intense weight since Saturday, that guilt, that fear. If the last time he made the risk, his now best friend called it quits, Iason could see his further reluctance in future relationships. Iason was only too happy to be the (only) one to stay no matter what. He once more reached, now allowed to touch him, stroke him, using his fingers to dig and spread the folds, pull it back to poke a tentative finger across his head, a bit astounded by the intense heat, and the apt hot breath across his collarbone.

“I want to suck you off.”

As he expected, Riki answered immediately, “Noppity nope, nope, nope.”

“Has anyone ever done it?”

“A couple guys have tried. One nearly broke his goddamn jaw. Doctor told him to stop, and then offered me guy who specializes in reductions.”

Iason felt Riki’s cock wither at the word. “Do men actually do that? Get reduced?”

“Ooooh yea. Doc said that most men born with big dicks get them smaller, and that a majority of men who get larger dicks reverse the process and all that.” Riki gasped. “Easy on the head now. There’s a reason it’s always hiding in its blanket.”

Iason snorted embarrassingly with laughter. “Why are you so ridiculous?”

“Mmm… Dunno…Yea, right there.”

“One moment.” Iason reached over to his nightstand, digging through the drawer to find his crystal bottle of oil. He tapped out a few drops of oil to spread them across his hands. Just those small bits were enough to coat both palms of his hands.

“For a second there, I was thinking you were going to get a dose of opium or something.”

“ _Opium_?”

“Isn’t that a rich people drug?”

“Wrong century, I think,” Iason responded. He went back to the task at hand, or at his hands. He began using both to stroke Riki in opposite directions simultaneously- “Fucking _hell_ ”- and his own cock responded in kind, but no, he was going to show that he could give as good as he got.

Damn, this was a dick, although it seemed that having such a big one wasn’t advantageous in any regard. At least there was so much to feel and manipulate. It was just turning him on so much, to finally have such ample opportunity to have Riki moan at what he provided. The opportunity to provide gave him such immense pleasure. He looked into Riki’s eyes, leveling with that heated stare. They came together for a kiss, nearly immediately pressing their tongues deeply together. Riki pulled the both of them down into the sheets, letting his arm cradle Iason’s head.

In this position he was better able to equally massage Riki’s testicles as he stroked a bit faster, feeling the strain in his wrist from having to move at such a wide angle. He went back to using two hands before he sprained something. He pretended that Riki was laughing with him, not at him.

Iason rubbed hard on Riki’s tip.

“Almost there.”

“So quickly?”

“Says the guy who came twice in the span of ten seconds.”

“That was your fault!” Iason worked him over, once more squeezing in up and down.

Riki gently held onto a wrist. “Don’t want to come on these nice sheets.” Iason once more reached back into the nightstand, this time getting out a condom. As he unwrapped it, he realized that, perhaps, the size wasn’t enough. Riki assured him, “As long it covers, ya know.” Iason rolled it down, watching it stretch to its limit and hardly give Riki’s cock any further cover.

“There we go.”

“How do you like to end it?”

“Mmm… Can you ask me in a more submissive way?”

Iason stopped. “Is that even possible?”

“Uh? ‘Course. That’s why I asked it. Can you do it?”

Okay. If it was possible, he just had to be creative.

“If you can’t think of anything, I’d rather just finish myself off.”

“No!” Iason growled, now a bit obsessed with being the one to provide, for once. “Um.” Something submissive? Riki’s been telling him what to say, or asking questions that had straightforward answers, and now he had to rack his brain… “Mmm…”

Damn it, he couldn’t think of anything sexy and intense so he went for: “Please… Instruct me, Sir.”

“Good, baby, good.”

Iason blew a disappointed raspberry. “It’s lame.”

“Simple, using what’s in ya repertoire. It’s good. Now, my instructions is to really work my tip with your mouth. Don’t try to swallow me even a little bit.”

Iason very quickly followed the orders, relieved, though still feeling his heart in his ears for some reason. He tried to take off the condom, but was stopped wordlessly from doing so, and thus took in the oily rubber between his wetted lips, sucking and licking quickly. He felt a hand going through the strands of his hair, spreading them over his shoulders as he moaned.

“Don’t forget about your hands, baby.”

Iason remembered his hands, although, goddamn, he realized just how small his mouth was. Riki was just wide enough to be completely unbearable; it was amazing. It really put his whole life into perspective.

“Almost there- a little faster for me.”

Iason wiggled his tongue, squeezing kisses with his lips, balancing on one elbow so that he had a free hand to stroke as quickly as he could- his forearm was starting to ache. That made it all the better; he really felt as if he was working for it, proving himself. He thought of how warm it would be for Riki’s come to flood the condom; he realized only then he was hard as a rock, but he was going to ignore it for now. It’s Riki’s turn; his turn to give. To please.

“You’re moaning as if I’m sucking you off. My dick taste that good?”

Iason couldn’t help but blush.

“Look at me.” Iason did so, spreading his mouth just a bit. “That’s it. I’m almost- don’t stop.”

Iason did that as well, and he heard Riki hiss: “Yes! Mmnggh,” Riki shuddered, gritting his teeth as he fought to keep his eyes open to see Iason lick across the hot flood at his tip. After what seemed like a full minute, Riki stopped Iason’s nuzzling, trying to regain his breath. Iason enjoyed watching his body expanding and collapsing with his breathing, sweat gathering quite a bit around his ribs. Despite his smaller stature, he was the one pulling Iason up into his arms and into another kiss.

“That was fantastic.”

“It was.” Iason yawned like a small child, snuggling closer. “I did well?”

Riki didn’t tease first, but said softly, “Very well. Don’t you forget it.“

Smiling, Iason definitely didn’t intend to.


	4. Vanilla Creme

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riki's excited about Valentine's Day. He's excited, period, but he has certain obligations to make before then. Iason needs a little test, an interview, if you will. Guess how well that will go about?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I blame the Discord for having me a little obsessed with Alec. It's nice that his character came naturally here.

Riki had, last semester, chosen to have the majority of his classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. His first semester was almost unbearable with five of six five classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Turns out most student took four classes anyway, but his scholarships covered up to six classes, and Riki felt as if he owed something to the anonymous donors who contributed to his free money. At least, that was him last semester. Now he needed sleep and was taking five classes with only two MWF. Today, he had the other three, one right after the other, ninety minutes each.

And he was so fucking horny, he was going to fucking die. 

He wouldn’t have been half as horny if one of Iason’s teachers (a hardass named Doctor Salvado- Iason recommended NEVER taking any of her classes) hadn’t emailed Iason directly, demanding his presence in her classroom or he was going to get a zero in participation for the week. Apparently, Professor Jones had spoken to Doctor Salvado and she was not taking Iason playing hooky.

They had to hurry back to campus, although Iason did not risk Riki driving his car again. However, Iason _did_ promise to let him drive if Riki promised to get his clothing from Professor Jones and apparently make sure the older man kept his experiences to himself.

Riki had done that. He wanted to wait until he saw Iason in person to tell him the bad news…

But first, Riki was fighting the hard-on from Hades himself. After an entire evening fantasizing about future endeavors, he found it hard to stop just for a measly thing like class. Two of his classes were largely-lecture based, but this last one was an English class, and he had to discuss and give his opinions and try not to think of Iason teasing himself on that chair with nothing but a shirt on. His wrecked face after Riki had made him come twice. His rather thick lips and rather soft hands, how his sucking pulled in the edges of the condom, as if trying to drink in his cum straight through.

Now he was super hard again.

They had already spoken about why Riki was adamant about the condom. He _really_ shouldn’t have swallowed Iason down bareback without getting tested. He also wasn’t _ever_ going to tell anyone about it.

He had recently gotten tested, as it was required for a certain party on a certain day, and now, if he was given the go-ahead, Iason would be tested as well.

Riki had already been invited to the Valentine’s Day Party at The Midas Club, but Iason needed to be recommended, and Riki did not actually have that sort of authority, lover or not. He was good friends with one who was- Alec, a man, also an orphan, who was four years his senior. With his white hair and red eyes, he stuck out, especially in the darkness of the alternative club. At the orphanage, though, he looked cool to the younger children, and his laidback personality made him fun to be around, even if he was a ‘super big kid’ for most of their lives. He was the main reason Riki got into clubs as a minor- no one knew about that though. He also might have had something to do with fake IDs for drinking at certain clubs.

Anyway, deep into Saturday night, Riki had told him about someone he met, about Iason, and how he was just a luscious natural.

Alec, like Riki, was now much more responsible, and demanded proof of Iason’s ‘naturalness’, scheduling today for some ‘testing’. So that, as well, was feeding Riki’s passion like gas to a fire. He had no doubt that Iason would pass any tests, although he wondered how Iason felt so at ease, so nonchalant over their conversation from yesterday. Even Riki starting out, besides any reasons because of age, had many worries about involving himself in any kinky activities. He spent hours pretending, hours practicing, hours getting his license.

And Iason jumps headfirst. According to Raoul, that was habit, but one would think there were limits.

Well, Riki had found one… So tentative on his bike… Iason couldn’t go a third time? Next time, though…

“Riki? You seem very distracted today. Do you find the assigned reading boring? I would have thought you would have enjoyed Canterbury’s Tales.” The laidback teacher, tapping her prim nails on the clipboard she used for notes, was smiling, but looked just the slightest bit worried. “You’re not getting sick are you? This is the time of year students start dropping like flies.”

“Naw, Teach, just a bit distracted.”

“Professor, Riki.”

“I’m not a professor, tho’.”

As the _professor_ rolled her eyes, the class laughed, and the discussion continued as normal. Or at least as normal as Riki could make it as Iason inched his way into his thoughts every other minute. Such long legs, big nipples. Nice-sized dick. Pink lips on his.

It wasn’t until the professor said loudly, “That’s enough for class today and hopefully more of you will be present for Thursday.” Her eyes looked pointedly in Riki’s direction, and he smiled his best smile. “That’s not always going to work,” she told him.

“So it’s working now?”

Sighing, she replied with her back turned, “See you Thursday, Riki.”

As soon as the room cleared out, Riki took out his phone to call Iason. He knew that the classroom wouldn’t be in use for another ninety minutes, and he knew that Iason would be available, as he was only taking four classes. Even if he was in the middle of class, Iason would definitely answer. At least, that was what Riki’s inflated ego told him.

“Afternoon,” came Iason’s smooth answer. It sounded as if he was trying to hold back from sounding too excited. How cute.

“Heeeeey, whatchu’ doin’?”

“I’m about to go to lunch. Would you like to join me?”

“Is anyone else gone be there?”

“Aisha and Leon-” There was a pause. “Though I suppose we can go somewhere alone.”

“Great! Anywhere in particular?”

“Nowhere, actually,” Iason murmured. “The cafeteria once more?”

Riki was shaking his head, though of course Iason couldn’t see anything. “Naw. I got a place I want to take you to. Lemme send you the address and we can meet there. And… Uh… We won’t be alone. It’s important, tho’, okay?”

Although he had predicted up to this moment, even as he was already sending the info, Riki was somewhat nervous, no, incredibly nervous. He hated feeling like this, like he was balancing between two safe spots on a rickety bridge, and he knew that if he just kept moving, he would get to the other side. Just a little more, with Lady Luck whispering his name, and hard luck stuffed full under his belt. He gave an update to Guy to tell the others, and rechecked Alec’s availability.

_All’s gud. Uze place?_

Alec’s way of texting often required a bit of deciphering. He had a habit of shortening where no one else would usually shorten, and his abbreviations would vary even for the same word- _uze?_ The gun?

Ah, short for usual.

_Yea. Iason might get there first._

_Ite._

‘Ite’ was his way of saying ‘alright’. Probably.

Even though he knew Iason would probably get there faster, it didn’t make Riki want to come too far in second. He was practically running to his bike, and once he got there, he jumped atop, zooming off to Rupa’s. A kink-friendly place, he was granted VIP access, which was a back room with a large table and a lounge sofa, where clients could truly get to know each other, and have the opportunity to press a button to run as soon as possible, if needed. Alec would be sure to share that knowledge with Iason in the passive, nonchalant way he was famous for.

Riki avoided the usual speed traps and the places where the police hid to catch people in the act- behind the twenty-four hour breakfast sign there, at an angle in the shadow of the large oak on that corner, in the rubble of the old cat house that someone burned down because of its smell. Finally, he was on this far side of downtown and in front of Rupa’s, parking in his reserved spot. He flashed his ID to the hostess, for formalities’ sake.

Just as he was about to go down the main walkway, he received a text, from Alec.

_Eson’s a brat._

What? What happened? It’s been minutes!

Riki all but ran to the VIP room, reaching the door, fixing his hair, removing his jacket and trying not to _panic_.

Another message.

_Ansrs no._

NO?! WHY?

Riki opened the door, all smiles, trying to hide the pain.

“You’re finally here,” Iason shot at him, slamming down a glass of ice water on the table, pointedly towards Riki’s empty seat. Across from him, Alec frowned. The most laidback mo’fo’ Riki’s ever met, possibly because of his daily intake of a gram or two, but it seemed all the smoke was up in ashes. Alec had his _glasses off_ and a frown on his face.

Riki greeted as cheerfully and ignorantly as he could, “I hope I didn’t leave y’all waiting too long. Didja order anything?”

“I have not, not for lack of trying!” Iason answered first, face brightening already even though he seemed so angry.

Alec muttered, “Not yet,” and was trilling his fingers on the table in the most annoyed fashion.

Looking at the menu, Iason remarked slowly, “I… I wanted to order… something.”

From the way Alec’s eyebrows rose to his hairline, he hadn’t encountered this slight hesitance from Iason just yet.

“Well, I appreciate y’all waiting for me.” Riki took his seat between them. “I’m glad you could make it, _Sir Alec_.”

Instead of taking this clue and fixing any part of his demeanor, Iason very conspicuously shrugged, as if he didn’t care in the least, so that was just honky-dory and fucking made Riki look like an idiot. It shouldn’t have been so surprising, because it wasn’t as if Iason had any training or knew the formal rules or anything. Riki didn’t think this through as much as he should have. Alec was going to grill his ass, flip him over, and grill him over the front. Work him over until he was well-fucking-done.

The least he could do was damage control.

“And this is Iason Mink, Alec.”

“Charmed.” Alec was about as warm as snow.

“Likewise,” was Iason’s sarcastic reply. “It’s also nice that you thanked me for coming.”

Alec gave Riki the Look. It was the Look he gave when he wanted to rake Riki over the coals a bit because of some mistake he made. Like saying that this awesome lovely person was ready for the big leagues when he definitely was not.

Fantastic.

Well, no one was ready at first. Not even slightly.

The waiter arrived, dressed in the VIP outfit of leather corset, gorgeous fishnet stockings, and a thick collar with the name of the restaurant, Rupa, in metallic numbers across its thickness. Riki watched Iason’s eyes twitch just the slightest bit wider. Turns out he could be a closed book if he was mad enough. Or mad at all. He sipped his water without a second glance in the waiter’s direction.

“Sir Alec, Sir Riki. The usual today?”

“Yes,” both of them answered much more quickly than usual.

“Very well.” He backed away and out, bowing perfectly.

Riki didn’t want to look at Iason, but he would have to eventually, sooner the better. Alec was catching his weakness, might demand a scene that night, which would be in his rights to do as his trainer.

And now. A decent look.

Iason didn’t seem bothered. Long fingers were stapled before him, not the slightest part of his facial expression revealed anything.

Shit, he was irate. There was no way he wasn’t. To be completely ignored, by Riki accidentally, and now their server, he must be thinking Riki was trying to piss him off on purpose. But the purpose of this was to be a surprise, a pop quiz to gauge his readiness, which was very, very firmly in the red.

“Iason. Alec is here to ask a few questions.”

“Hm.” A sip of his water.

“I invited him here, personally.”

Another sip.

“There’s no one on this planet who I would trust or want to do this.”

A slight quiver in the corner of his lips.

“I wanted it here, with that Sub doing exactly as he should be doing.”

Eyebrows creased just a bit. The ice was sweating just a bit.

“And with you answering. Anything he asks is to be answered.”

Iason’s shoulders flared with indignation, not a good sign, and he at last said actual words, “Can I talk to you alone?”

“Not… Right now.”

Hell froze over. Iason crossed his arms and looked out the window. Although the view was of a rather nice backstreet with cobblestones marking all the paths, no one could see into the room through the specially-made tinted windows.

Alec announced, “Riki, I want to talk to you alone.”

Couldn’t Alec have waited two minutes to say that instead of immediately after him telling Iason no? Just two minutes would have been amazing, and Iason wouldn’t be glaring him down, daring him to comply. Which was exactly what Riki was going to do because Alec was _his_ Sir, forever and always. He would have loved to give Iason all this information, but that would get him in much deeper shit. Well, deeper than right at that moment. Less neck deep and more buried alive.

“Of course, Sir.”

Iason’s chair squeaked across the floor as he immediately stood and left the room, slammed the door.

“I don’t think he’s coming back,” Alec joked.

“I, uh, dunno. He’s so _mad_. What happened?”

“He wasn’t very nice to Miguel.”

The Sub waiter. “Right. He didn’t introduce himself as a Master-“

“So, Miguel ignored him.” Copying Iason’s lilting voice, Alec dramatized, “I don’t care who you think I am, I’m still a guest, and I would like to make an order.’”

Riki rubbed his face, continuing, “He kept ignorin’ him.”

“‘What the fuck is the bitch’s problem?’”

“And you ignored him. He ignored him.”

Alec went back to drumming his fingers once more. “Then he leaves after giving us _both_ water, which I will have to tell Rupa about, and Iason says to me, ‘Fuck you, too’.”

“God… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. He’s a bit of a stickler for customer service or something, or maybe he felt you were disrespecting him, which I could get.”

Alec raised a hand. Riki stopped talking.

“I didn’t get you alone for you to start giving me excuses for him. I see that you’re stressing yourself out, but you don’t have to worry.”

“Should I show myself out?” Riki said into the tablecloth, feeling a heat in his face that he hadn’t felt in weeks. Not since he called that one Sub by the wrong name and she coded red and left and never texted or called back.

“No… I changed my mind. He softened like putty once you got here. My balls were about to freeze off with that frigid jerk-ness, and you come in and say a few sentences and he gets his act together like you’re his daddy- no pun intended. If I didn’t think you an honest man, I would never have believed you met this weekend.  Last year, maybe, but a few days ago? Naw.”

Okay, testing was still on! Riki wasn’t altogether sure that was a good thing. He was ready to go as soon as he got that first text but now, he had to really get Iason in gear. Which he couldn’t do anytime soon since Alec was the one who was doing the questioning. Everything was just perfect.

“Alright.” Alec pressed his glasses over his pink eyes. “Get him in here. If he’s gone, it’s definitely a no from me.”

Riki prayed silently as he opened the door, and was very happy to see Iason still there, furiously tapping on his phone. He glanced at Riki, then continued his obviously very important message, although Riki was ten thousand percent certain Iason was doing so just to spite him, and Alec. Mostly Alec. Definitely Alec.

Slowly closing the door, Riki was stopped by Iason’s hand just as there was an inch left. Riki expected nothing less. At least now he could appreciate Iason’s fine form in his sweater, wide shoulders and hips that really promised a nice hold. His sweater was riding up a little, showcased a thin line of small-of-back muscles. Riki remembered Iason saying that their house had a gym in the ‘East Wing’ that everyone made regular use of, and it showed.

He sat down heavily; Riki did the same.

Alec tapped the table three times.

Before he was even conscious of it, Riki got into position as a fellow master in the presence of his Sir: hands together on the table, eyes on his hands, not moving his gaze even the least to the left or right. Total silence. Alec, he could hear, from hearing it hundreds of times, pushed upon his shades, tapping them against the bridge of his nose. He pulled forward, showing how he was much taller than his slouching form suggested. Iason sat up taller in response, the usual response.

“Iason, I’m going to ask you some questions.”

“Riki already-”

“AND you’re just going to answer and not say anything else. Here is a timer I’m starting it..” Alec paused, most likely showing Iason said timer. “And here are four coins.” Usually there were three! Alec placed said coins in a row. “I will remove them at random when you do something I have told you explicitly not to do. I might let you go five times disobeying without taking a coin, I might take one, or two. No more than that. Do you understand?”

“I know English, Alec.”

Alec took away a coin. “Three more. Now, do you understand?”

Riki understood now why there were four coins.

This time Iason didn’t answer,

Alec sat there.

Iason sat there.

Riki sat there, knowing for sure Alec would wait a long time for an answer. There were two paths from here: Iason answers, or Iason leaves. Riki remembered several people where Alec waited up to three hours- and this was only the first part.

“Are you just going to sit there, Riki?” Iason growled, and when Riki didn’t move or answer, he continued angrily, “Now you’re going to ignore me, too?” Silence. “Riki!”

Riki prayed Iason wouldn’t leave; it wouldn’t be the first time, or first three, or first ten, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last time. Hell, Riki hoped to be in Alec’s place one day. Not anytime soon, Jesus no, but eventually.

Fortunately, Iason stayed, Alec waited, and Riki praised (and feared) Iason’s stony stubbornness. It didn’t erode for some time and Iason spat angrily, “Fine! I understand!”

“Understand?”

“I understand, Sir.”

Praise the Lord, Hallelujah. Riki started breathing again, nearly passing out from unknowingly holding his breath so long. This was going to lead him to an early grave. Whose idea was this? Oh, right. His. All his. One day, he’ll plan things out in detail and know every step of the way and it’ll all be perfect perfection.

Not today though.

“What’s the first thing you think about when being told to do something?”

“Who’s telling me,” Iason said without hesitation.

Great answer!

Alec leaned forward, clarifying, “Not what the instructions are? But who’s saying them?”

“That’s what I-” Alec leaned forward even further.  “Yes! Yes, Sir.”

“Alright.” Alec knocked the table. Riki stood to ring for Miguel to bring in the food for the next part. Miguel and similarly dressed waitresses arrived in a matter of seconds, placing the many dishes onto the rather large table, enough for three people, meant to be eaten by two, most likely going to be choked down by one: Riki. He really hoped Iason wouldn’t continue to be stubborn; he didn’t want to throw up again. Besides it being super gross, he wanted to talk to Iason after this, and it was hard to talk after puking up his guts.

“Are you allergic to any foods?”

“I am not.”

“Good.”

Riki couldn’t see, but he knew Alec was picking up some good eats onto a fork and pointing it towards Iason’s mouth. He knew Iason took too long to eat because the fork was now in front of Riki’s mouth. He ate obediently. Seasoned jasmine rice.

“Are you afraid of pain?”

“No. I’m not.”

“Are you afraid of anything?”

No answer was forthcoming, but Alec pointed another fork of food, which Iason took, yet again, too long to eat, and Riki once again ate. That chicken curry stuff. Delicious.

He had eaten enough for one person by the time Iason answered. The timer! Riki could only think furiously that Iason had way more time than his imagination thought of.

“I’m afraid of being stuck.”

“Stuck? Like, tied up?”

“No. Like. Nothing ever happens and I’m stuck there where nothing happens.”

Alec asked slowly, “Do you… Do you mean... What’s happening now?”

 “No. Just… It’s…. It’s a stupid first-world problem. One percent, first-world problem. It’s stupid.”

Alec seemed to forget the food completely, something that wasn’t ever a mistake he would make. “Explain. I’m intrigued.”

He heard teeth clenching around metal, as Iason finally took a bite.

“Wait. Why did you just eat after snubbing me for-” Most likely a check for time. “-Twenty-six minutes?”

Nearly half an hour!  

Iason sighed with extreme irritation. “Because you’re not eating, and you’re feeding Riki. If this fucking continues, and you do what I think you’re going to do, Riki’s going to have a stomachache.”

“Or throw up. That’s what usually happens.”

“You’ve made him do that?!” Riki was rather touched at the protective tone of voice.

Riki could see Alec’s elbow move, knowing he was shrugging his shoulders. “Riki can leave whenever he wants to, as can you. Whatever happens is because he wants to do it, for whatever reason. Can you give me a reason why you’re staying?”

“I could,” Iason replied breezily. .

Alec took a coin.

“I answered!”

“You know what I meant.”

Riki wouldn’t have taken a coin in that instance, but that may be why he wasn’t yet a trainer like Alec. He could be soft- he thought Iason turned to putty, Riki would become a puddle.

“Because… I think Riki wants me to.”

“Why does that matter to you?”

“It makes me feel good.”

“Really? So you feel good about me and sitting here?” Alec hands gestured across the table in two long sweeps.

Iason changed accordingly: “It would feel better than leaving.”

Another clang of teeth on fork, a sound Riki once couldn’t stand, but now hoped for (at least for the Submissives who sat in the seat). He heard Alec ask, “Are you sure you’re not mistaking that feeling? You seem competitive. Aren’t you just trying not to lose in this battle of wills? It’s all a fun game to you.”

“I’m relatively certain it’s more than a game to me.”

“Are you sure?”

A bit defensively, Iason explained, “I can’t win or lose in this.”

“Sure you can,” Alec argued with his usual agreeable air, an attitude he’d usually start with, if first impressions didn’t prohibit it. “You leave, you’ve lost. Maybe Riki’s respect? If you take it to the next step, to the final step, you win.”

Riki felt just a bit that Alec was being unfair. Many in the lifestyle treated it as a game or trial, dipping in and out of scenes like a game of golf. Even those into the most intense kinks might merely dab once every few months. Of course, Riki was the same when he first started out, until he slowly realized that he needed it in his romantic life, his private life, to push him forward, bring spice to an already varied life.

“I suppose that competitive element may drive me to these extremes.”

“Thank you for your honesty.”

“However, I would not play this game with just anyone. Nor would I have this sense of… fulfillment.” _Clang, scrape_. “I’m not making sense. I don’t know what you want me to say.”

Alec’s arm fell deadweight where it was in front of Iason. “I sincerely hope you aren’t answering just whatever you think I’d like.”

“I’m not. Riki is a different matter.”

“Why Riki?”

“He’s proved to push me in interesting and different directions than I have ever hoped or expected, and I don’t have to worry about… What I usually worry about.”

Alec said, almost to himself, “He’ll keep you from being stuck.”

“That sounds about right. You’re really listening… I appreciate that.”

Have they come to a mutual understanding? Respect? Was Iason growing on Alec? Would Alec change his mind enough for Valentine’s? Has Riki avoided punishment?!

“So if Riki took you somewhere, where everyone expected you to be quiet unless spoken to, and to follow the instructions of certain people there, and a lot of other orders, would you submit?”

The magic word.

“I’m full,” Iason said.

Alec took away a coin, and fed the refused food to Riki.

“Yes,” Iason answered in earnest.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Yes, Sir, what?”

Iason answered quietly, “Yes, Sir, I would…. Do that.”

“Last coin and you continue to waste my time?”

“I would submit! That’s what you want to hear in its entirety, correct? I would submit.”

Alec let the words spread in the air just like so, giving Riki enough time to bask in the inescapable fantasies that followed Iason’s admission of submission, and he was once again astounded by how quickly he could get erect.

“So. Would you submit to me?”

Alec has NEVER asked that question before. Why on Earth would he ask that? Riki didn’t want to know the answer! This was taking up precious timer time! He was starting to feel the food come up already.

Iason answered faster than Riki would have liked: “If you think me following Riki’s orders vicariously through you as ‘submission’, then yes, I’d submit to you.”

Did that count, Riki thought furiously. It wasn’t a straight yes or no, but it did answer the question, right? Right?

Alec took away the last coin.

Iason’s loudest, most enraged shout ensued, “My answer does not change!”

Alec chuckled, tapping the table three times, and said gently, “I’m just putting away the last one. I wasn’t taking it as a punishment. Although I think you’re in for a rude awakening, I kind of want to see it on Valentine’s.”

Only now did Riki’s head shoot up. “So it’s a yea?”

Alec checked the timer. “With fourteen minutes left to spare. Yea, it’s a yea. He’s much more tolerable when he’s not running his mouth. It’s like you all over again.” Alec paused. “God, it’s like you all over again. There’s two of you!” He slunk down in his chair “I’m not making one more damn fake ID, I swear to God. Fuck, I’m hungry.” Alec set upon what was left of the food.

“Maybe instead of shoving this meal down our throats, you should have taken a bite or two yourself.”

“Oh, Iason has jokes. The two of you are perfect for each other,” Alec replied, continuing to eat.  “You might want to teach him some basics before he gets you kicked out the scene. Or your ass beat.”

Riki finally faced Iason, neck cricking after so long bent, and not nearly as used to quiet complacency as it was even last year. No such complacency was visible anywhere on Iason’s composed face, and those words of submission seemed to have had never graced those perfect lips, and those hands could wring his neck. Again, all was usual, except this was a one-in-eight chance of a Submissive passing his test on the first try.

“Wooo!” Riki accidentally cheered aloud.

“And what the devil are you cheering for?” Iason demanded. “I deserve an explanation!”

“Okay, okay, calm down.”

“I AM CALM.”

Alec interrupted, “Lunch and a show. This is great.”

Riki gave Alec his best pleading face before answering Iason in slow, soft words, “Alec is my trainer. He basically showed me around the scene when I was in high school. He’s also from the same orphanage as me, and I’ve known him my whole life.”

Iason blinked. “And?”

Alec snorted into his plate.

Poor Riki tried not to sigh like an old grandfather with his spoiled grandson, instead grinning. “Aaaand,” he tried again, “He’s basically the one who can say that you can come to certain places with me as my Sub.”

“Why can’t you do that?” Iason asked, eyes narrowing in distaste. “Why do I have to have a heart-to-heart with a man I have no relation with?”

“C’mon, I was in the same position at the bar. Unless you know something about my birth parents that I don’t know.”

“We were having a bout of pool. It was different. You were a rival.”

“Wait, you play pool?” Alec asked, genuinely surprised.

Iason flushed momentarily. “Not like Riki.”

Alec took off his glasses, looking long and hard into Riki’s face and his shit-eating grin.

“Riki said you and him met at the bar and one thing led to another and you showed him how submissive you can be, in the whole scheme of things. Can you elaborate?” Alec asked. For good measure, he triple-tapped the table. Riki let his head fall all the way, until his forehead rested on the tablecloth, soaking up his misery as Iason told Alec in exquisite detail all about Saturday. One thing led to another, and Riki was showing Alec certain videos and certain pictures and Iason was relaying certain questions. It was all a good time.

For them.

“If you hadn’t passed the test, I would be kicking Riki’s ass to Kingdom Come right now,” Alec told Iason, tapping three times onto Riki’s stupid noggin.

“Now… Why is that?” Iason looked between them for answers.

“Because he knew what he was doing, and he knew you didn’t quite know. Basically, he was playing the game knowing that you didn’t have all the pieces, or knew all the rules.”

“I see. Are you to be my trainer now?” Iason’s grimace showed just how much he enjoyed that possibility.

“Luckily for Subs, as long as you show aptitude, a willingness to learn, and aren’t a _complete_ asshole, it’s pretty safe for you to go out, at least in this city.”

Iason muttered, “I don’t like how you emphasized ‘complete’.”

Alec smacked the table in front of Riki. “Doms, on the other hand, since they can do much more damage by being _completely stupid,_ they need to go through a bit more rigmarole so they don’t _manipulate_ someone into something they aren’t sure they can handle- or know how to recognize the signs that they aren’t handling things well.”

The way Iason suddenly fell into a silent spell made Riki uneasy. He watched Alec put on his glasses, knowing the man was still watching carefully, even if he wasn’t going to say anything. Was there a time that Riki didn’t catch the signs? Was Iason flashbacking to it now, with a bad feeling in his stomach? Alec would see it before Riki did, if he did at all. Restless, Riki began picking at a samosa, hoping Iason would say something, anything.

He couldn’t take it anymore.

“Iason?”

Snapping to, Iason turned to him.

“You okay?”

“Yes. I was just thinking how often you would make sure that I wanted to stay or do something. How fast you would react if I seemed the least bit out of sorts. With Alec as your trainer, I suppose you have learned to be cautious.” Iason looked out the window once more. “Caring. Conscientious. I suppose I am lucky to have someone like you as my first on the… scene, as you call it.”

Riki tried not to grin like an idiot. He failed. Miserably.

Iason then told him, “I would like more information of course. But… Not too much. I do so love surprises.” He rested his chin on his knuckles, eyebrow raised and just egging him into doing something he shouldn’t.

Definitely not in front of his sir though. Alec probably still had Riki in his crosshairs. 

Riki explained in more detail than he would have usually done if Alec wasn’t there watching and listening to every word. He started with how relatively rare their feelings were (although there are studies that rare may not be the best word for it), and the seriousness of their desires was even rarer. A little bit about Doms, Subs, Switches, and kinks that didn’t fall into any of these alignments. Limits, hard limits, soft limits, and where they stemmed from and how they were all valid. Like being tied up but not handcuffs? Valid. Liked to be cut but not spankings? Valid. Liked getting choked but no blindfolds? Valid.

Scenes and surprises, recognizing feelings of doubt, and other feelings like anxiety, fear and terror, which didn’t come across as naturally as one would think, or could often be misinterpreted as excitement.

Iason listened. Silently. All the way until Riki couldn’t think of anything more to say or what he needed to share.

“Any questions?” Riki probed.

“I… I don’t have any questions.”

“But?”

“I… I have an… explanation. I’m not trying to excuse myself. It’s just something I want to… to say. I’d appreciate if you didn’t laugh or berate me afterwards.”

“‘Course not. You can say you believe in Santa Claus and I’ll be like, ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas, alright?”

The ensuing laughs from both of them put Riki’s mind at ease. Alec taking off his glasses made things a lot better.

Iason’s shoulders fell, and Riki realized he only just noticed that they were raised so high. God, he had a lot of work to do. He sucked so damn much.

Without such knowledge of Riki’s sudden intense disliking for himself, Iason started, “When you called me here I did expect you to be here, Riki, and it was incredibly jarring to find this man here, and not you.” Iason allowed a slight gesture of nervousness as he pushed back his blond hair behind his ear. “It’s not just that he was a stranger, but also that I was instructed to go to the back of this unknown restaurant in some unknown part of town with a window that is tinted.” Again, a gesture of insecurity as a finger rubbed down an eyebrow. “And this man is wearing a jacket and I couldn’t properly assess whether or not I could take him on in a fight. Then ten minutes passed and I knew how fast you drove and that you planned this, but then another ten minutes passed-”

“Y’all been here twenty minutes?! You guys said that y’all weren’t waiting long! The fuck?”

“I just happened to be downtown already. One of my classes was canceled.”

“Ahhh, ‘kay. Jeeeeez. Keep going?”

“So I… I got… I was just a bit… Nervous. And then the woman came in and ignored me and Alec was just sitting there, and it just reminded me of certain circumstances that I’ve found myself in. Alright, that is all.”

Alec shook his head at once. “No. Explain those certain circumstances. Neither I nor Riki want to repeat whatever happened today again. The more info we have, the more we can avoid it.”

Naturally, neither Alec nor Riki could make Iason talk.

But, thankfully, he did.

“I’ve been kidnapped. Several times. I’ve been… trapped. Several times. I’ve actually been in something like this- a friend of mine invites me somewhere and it turns out they’ve been paid by so-and-so to get me to such-and-such place and everyone’s pretending I don’t exist because they are waiting for a call so they can make a ransom. Shit like that. It’s stupid I know-”

“Stupid?!” Alec and Riki screamed together.

“Well, yes, because-”

“No, no, no. Let me stop you right fucking there,” Alec interrupted, rubbing his pale face with both hands. “Jesus fucking Christ Almighty. You thought you were about to be kidnapped.”

Iason tried to protest, “It turns out I’ve worried myself for nothing, and I was rude to-”

This time Riki stopped him, “Remember what I said about valid? Valid.”

“But I-”

“Valid.”

“Just because-”

“Valid!” Riki breathed. “You know, if you were a woman, I wouldn’t have done this.” Iason’s dangerous squint had Riki explaining in a hurry, “It’s just that I would be a man she doesn’t know, sending her to a place she doesn’t know, to meet a man she doesn’t know. All those pieces in place would have her believing she was going to be sexually assaulted- she probably wouldn’t have come actually. I’ve had women bail on me for situations a lot less risky than this. I’ve had a lady cut things off when I came to her with a drink. And you know what?”

Iason smiled a little. “Their feelings were valid.”

“Exactly.”

Alec murmured, “That’s why Miguel gave you water.”

Iason asked, “Was he not supposed to?”

“No. He wasn’t. It’s not like him to slip up like that.” Alec pinched the corners of his eyes, as if trying to hurt himself, punish himself. “He was trying to reassure you. Fuck, maybe he was trying to signal me. I’m so sorry. I should have known, should have noticed.”

Iason shrugged. “You’re not a mind-reader.”

“But I have been taught for years to read the signs. I let my own feelings cloud my judgement. You have my deepest apologies.”

“You’re forgiven, of course. To be honest, I feel you are taking this a lot worse than you need to.”

Riki took Iason’s hands into his, making the blond redden just bit. “You only feel that way because you know you were wrong _now_. Hindsight is twenty-twenty.” He squeezed those hands, trying to bring some warmth; they were _clammy_. “Iason. Why did you stay if you were feeling unsafe? Was it pride?”

Iason’s face reddened even further, turning away and saying so quietly, Riki and Alec leaned forward to hear, “No… I just… I wanted to believe in you, just in case I was wrong. I didn’t want… I didn’t want you to know that I lost trust in you.”

“You were willing to risk being kidnapped for that?”

Iason nodded, chin nearly into his shoulder.

“Hey. Lemme tell you this. Take it as an order, or as a friend desperate for your safety, as a boyfriend who wants nothing but the best for you- whatever.” Riki pulled Iason’s chin forward so that those blue eyes were in line with his black ones. “If you ever, ever, ever feel unsafe like that, don’t worry about my goddamn feelings or anyone else’s goddamn feelings and leave. Run like hell. You can explain all you want when you don’t think your life is in danger. Safe, sane, consensual. Can you promise me that? Please?”

“I… I promise.” Iason seemed to deflate. “I’m sorry. I need to collect myself for a few moments. Is there a bathroom?”

“Yea, yea.” Riki pressed the button. Miguel appeared. “Can you show Iason the bathroom? Make sure he’s not disturbed.”

“As you wish, Sir Riki.”

“Thank you,” Iason blurted out.

Miguel’s eyes widened.

“For the water.”

Miguel looked as if he was about to answer, but he remembered himself in time.

Taking pity before his heart died, Riki ordered, “You’re free to speak, Miguel.”

Just as in a rush as Iason was, Miguel blurted as well, “You’re welcome! You a’ight? I ‘ssumed ’cause it was Sir Alec that everything’ll be fine, but you looked so _scared_ , and I didn’t know what to do, ‘cause _I_ trusted him but you were new and I-”

“You’re fine. The water helped, a lot. You were right and I thank you for your foresight even after I treated you so terribly.”

“Well, hell, if I was in yo’ position, I wouldn’t’ve stayed no how. You must be one of Riki’s best friends, but I ain’t never seen you befo’. You must be from da orphanage or da nursing home.”

Riki chuckled, saying, “Alright, Miguel. That’s good. Maybe sometime later.”

Miguel smiled, bowing at once and silencing himself, pointing both arms in the direction of the bathroom for Iason to follow. He closed the door behind them.

With the click of the doorknob, both Alec and Riki groaned long and hard for close to an entire minute. Riki felt bad enough, but he couldn’t imagine how badly Alec was feeling. He didn’t like drama in the first place, but Alec was probably blaming himself for making this all more dramatic than it needed to be.

“You know it’s not your fault, right?” Riki said, trying to look into his eyes. Alec put his sunglasses back on.

“I know.”

“The reason why you feel so bad is the same as Iason- you just know you were wrong, and it’s making it worse in your head.”

Alec rubbed his head. “You’re sweet as always, Riki. But I’ll make sure to accept some accountability, as you are, no matter how much you try to make the two of us feel better. If Miguel could see it, I should have, too.” Grinning, he joked, “Make sure to invite me to your wedding.”

“I have no idea why he trusts me like this. I don’t deserve it.”

“I suppose you haven’t given him reason for him not to trust you?”

Riki scoffed, “There’s a lotta people I’ve known for four days that didn’t give me no reason not to trust them. Don’t mean I’ll stop for lunch with any of ‘em.”

Alec guessed again, “You’re showing him a nice time and you’re not taking _too_ much of an advantage of him? Sounds to me that his dealings with people are pretty limited to grifters and friends, and that’s how he sees everyone. Until you came along going.”

Riki couldn’t help but feel that even if Alec was correct, he still didn’t earn that sort of trust, or even curiosity. Yet, he had to really come to terms that Iason had lived an entirely different life. The worst Riki had come in contact to anything close to kidnapping was when his first car was stolen and he happened to be in the back napping before going into work. When it was safe, he escaped, and eventually saved enough for a motorcycle so that shit wouldn’t happen again.

That was only once and he changed the entire way he traveled out of caution, and yet Iason had endured such things several times and thought, sure, what’s one more? No pressure on him at all.

“I have an order, Riki. And if you don’t follow it, do not come to the Valentine’s party.”

Oh, shit.

“Yes, Sir?”

Alec rubbed his chin. “Don’t talk or meet with Iason tomorrow. The whole day. From midnight tonight, to midnight tomorrow night. No contact.”

Riki made a face. “May I ask why, Sir?”

“Just in case the both of you are just riding some wave that started on Saturday. I think this is healthy for the two of you. I would like for you to relay this information to Iason, but I’m certain he would break it. You, however, will not give in. Got me?”

Riki nodded, not liking thinking of how to relay that information, but he was pretty certain that he could follow those instructions.

Alec stood, stretching and cracking his joints. “Alright. I’m leaving. I need a fucking blunt after all this. Fuck. See you Valentine’s. Maybe.”

“See you on Valentine’s, Sir. Definitely.”

 Alec left with one final breath of relief. Riki knew that the man had less energy for people than Raoul, and had less energy for drama than a high school teacher three months from retirement. Even Riki, who was at least used to his feelings being all over the place, felt a bit tired, and guilty. A whole lotta that.

When Iason returned, he pretended not to see the redness of his eyes, or how they were slightly swollen.

Sitting down, Iason asked, “Where is Sir Alec?”

Sir? Very good.

“When Sir is done, he is done. And he was done. He gave me an order though, before he left.” Iason eyed him expectantly, and Riki’s heart kind of twisted in a weird way, making it hard to share the order. “He doesn’t want us to contact each other in any kind of way all of Wednesday. Midnight to midnight.”

“It may be off-putting for me to have such an attachment to you, after all.”

“Cool! You understand.”

Iason nodded. “It’s reasonable.” Smirking, Iason told him, “However. If I’m going to be without your company, you better give me dares enough for two days then.”

Riki couldn’t help but lick his lips and give Iason a dressing down with his eyes. “I was planning on the interview being all that.”

“Are you saying you’re satisfied? I could go for more.”

Iason not only had balls of steel, but was greedy as well. Riki needed the perfect answer to such blatant provocation. Alec said that Iason was in for a rude awakening, but Riki has been trying to rudely awaken him for four days, and the only time he’s come close was today, where he scared the shit out of him, and when else? Probably that time in the classroom? He just couldn’t go a third time.

His mind came to a screeching halt.

The classroom stint. Iason’s clothes.

Riki didn’t want to ruin the mood. So. Later.

“Take off your clothes,” Riki commanded. He pressed the button to have Miguel take away the dishes, cleaned of every bit of food, even the picked apart samosa. Another group of staff took the table away once he gave the go-ahead. Even as they came in, Iason did not pause for a moment from undressing himself. When one of the naughty Sub waitresses stopped to ogle, Iason put a hand on his hip in a pose of great self-confidence. She had to be pushed by the other two as they bowed in apology. Trainees.

Miguel returned once more with a bowl of essentials: oils, condoms, cock rings, toys, a bowl. Riki pushed it all under the sofa.

Riki then pulled Iason more to the center of the room, to give himself more room, and so that he could walk around to get a look at that ass bare. Oh, it was much nicer without any covering. He returned in front of Iason.

“So. You’re going to stand here, quietly, while I play with you.”

“Play with me?”

“Yep. I think I learned a thing or two from yesterday and I want to put it into practice.” Before Iason thought _too_ hard about yesterday, Riki asked, “Any questions?”

Iason was quick: “Is standing part of it?”

“Good question, and, yep. You gotta keep standing. Until I say you’ve had enough.”

A blond eyebrow rose, and Riki guessed that Iason knew that this was his way of trying to rectify a mistake. Riki needed to work on his subtlety.

“Any more questions?”

“Will you…” Riki was getting kind of jealous of the window now, what with all the attention Iason was giving it. “Will you be hitting me?”

Unsuspecting, the question came from left field, but Riki supposed that is the first thing people think of when they see a man all in leather. “I was planning on a few smacks here and there. No?”

Iason shook his head. “Not my… Not my face, please.”

“Aw, naw, that’s… That’s a step further than you’re ready for, even if ya didn’t ask.”

“Is there really much of a difference between smacking someone’s face and elsewhere?”

“Yea. I don’t know a lot of Subs that would take getting smacked in the face. In all my training, Alec had only done it once, and he told me beforehand.”

Iason, thoughtful, said to himself, “Interesting.”

“Anything else?”

“No.”

“No?”

Riki could almost see Iason berating himself in his blue eyes. “Yes, Sir.”

“Good.” Riki rubbed his hands together. “Good, good. Hands behind your head. Keep them there as long as you can.”

When he drops his hands, Riki would know that Iason was physically at the end of his rope. For now, Riki’s fingers could freely dig into the muscles of those hips, digging a thumb and forefinger underneath, pulling upwards just to feel how much they stiffened. He raked nails all the way down, over hips, over long thighs, shins. Then to the back, to his calves, making Iason’s legs buckle momentarily as he teased the back of his knees.

“Nice catch.”

“Thank you.”

Riki looked up with a frown, pressing a finger to his lips. With Iason’s nod over his shoulder, Riki returned to his play, adding his lips and tongue to taste Iason here and there. Salty, faint soap. He bit down, using his entire mouth, that muscle connecting thigh to the side of his knee. Riki could feel Iason’s gasp in his brain; Riki tightened his jaw until Iason whimpered. Only then did he let go and give the reddened skin little kisses.

Then he stood behind Iason and gave his ass a smack with both hands.

“Haah!”

“Shhhh.”

Riki licked a line down Iason’s long back, starting at the base of his neck, his blond hair pushed aside, all the way down to the very middle of him, between his legs, sucking in both of his balls and pulling until he felt Iason’s body shudder. Then, he let go. He stood up, spanking. This time, Iason stepped forward to keep his balance.

Dragging his hands around, his fingers found a nipple and the navel ring.

He looked up. Iason was already breathing hard, cock in much the same disposition.

“So sensitive,” murmured Riki.

He pulled both nipple and navel ring. What a lucky guy he was that Iason had such a convenient piercing- he knew there was a funny story in there somewhere- and it was all healed and ready to manipulate. Grabbing the other nipple, he pulled both again, smiling as Iason went on tiptoe to relieve the pressure. Every time he felt the resistance of flesh, Riki’s own cock fought against his zipper.

_Smack!_

That was even better.

He noticed Iason’s arms waving in their position besides his own head.

Seeing his time running out, Riki used his fingernails to caress from the top of Iason’s feet, up and down his legs entirely, not letting even an inch of his light skin be free of his touch. Iason will be thinking about this all day tomorrow. At least, that was Riki’s plan.

His fingers reached Iason’s buttocks; he dug his fingernails in, truly trying to scratch his skin, then around his hips, across the sparse happy trail. Surprisingly, Iason’s arms came down completely at this. He tried to bring them back up, but they twitched in rebellion.

“It’s alright. You did good. Rest your hands on me.”

Iason nodded, doing just so.

Riki’s nails returned, across Iason’s stomach, across his back, really let him have it over his shoulders, across his wide chest, hard into his ribs so that it wouldn’t tickle, then down over his stomach again, pinching him. He hoped that Iason couldn’t feel him shaking with excitement.

Iason’s cock was straining. Riki wasn’t that far behind.

Riki looked up. “You’re being such a good boy.” He recognized the dazed look; it was much like Iason’s regular look, except his mouth was slightly open. Just the tiniest bit.  “I’mma touch you on your dick okay?” The confusion on his face made Riki laugh. Still, he slowly palmed Iason’s erection as he wrapped a strong arm around Iason’s tapered hips, for, just as he expected, Iason underestimated how the touch would make him feel, and buckled, though quickly straightening his legs. Checking to make sure he hadn’t come yet- he hadn’t- Riki pressed deeper into the heat.

“Don’t move,” Riki ordered. “Ya legs are fine.” He managed two fingers in between, using his knuckles to pinch the skin of his perineum. The feeling was too foreign to give an orgasm, but it was enough for Iason to lose his balance and fall into Riki’s arms. Even with this reaction, Riki firmed up his muscles to take on more of Iason’s weight, pressing upwards, searching. Nails squeezed into his shoulders, then Iason was frantically patting him on his shoulders.

“You have my permission to speak.”

Hoarsely, Iason told him, “I need to go back to the bathroom.”

Seems like he found the place. Riki couldn’t help it: “Hahaha, no, you don’t. See?” He lifted Iason’s cock to show him the sudden influx of fluids flowing out. “I just pressed your prostate and it pushed some, whatchamacallit, seminal fluids out.”

“Ah… I see.”

“Alright, quiet now. Try not to move too much. Your prostate is a bit delicate, even with the skin in between.” Riki concentrated on pressing gently, making slow circles, knowing he was hitting the spot as Iason continued to tremble.

Riki stifled a moan. To have someone at the mercy of his hands, standing there simply taking what he was dishing out, there were few things that came close to the utter euphoria this brought Riki. The knowledge that he could do just about anything and Iason would follow along made him want to do _unspeakable atrocities_ , but, naturally, he let his desires settle on making Iason fall, to kneel at his feet. The blond was barely standing on his own, but that wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough.

He gave a firm push towards where Iason’s prostate was located, his other hand pulling on Iason’s taut testicles, squeezing just hard enough to feel the organs deep within. It wasn’t for a couple more minutes before he felt the entire taller body seize up. Finagling his fingers a bit, he squeezed the unsuspecting balls, stopping that orgasm before it could finish. As he planned, Iason fell.

            Blue eyes raised beneath worried eyebrows. Riki could jerk off to this expression. Probably would later.

            Iason attempted to get up, managing to climb up Riki like a ladder, taking back his position of leaning on him entirely. As soon as Riki touched his dick, he went down again, gasping. This time, he seemed almost angry, and stood up a lot quicker. For his pride’s sake, Riki let him have the few moments of victory.

            Then brought him down again with a squeeze- such a cute face.

            “It’s okay, Iason. It’s okay. Stay right there.” Riki took out his cock, taking a condom from his pocket, one that was a size probably missing from the bowl, sliding it on. “Now. Make me come. If you want, touch yourself while licking me. Don’t try to swallow me.” He felt like he needed to say that _every_ time. The time he didn’t would be when Iason broke his jaw trying, he just knew it.

            Iason set upon his cock with enthusiasm, not at all interested in his own continued pleasure as he used both hands, one between Riki’s legs, massaging his balls, and the other on his dick in a way that mirrored what Riki was just doing. He opened his mouth as wide as possible, sucking, mouth watering around his tip, slurping up his own saliva. His breathing was just as labored as the day before in the bed for angels. He just loved returning a favor, or maybe he didn’t like feeling as if he owed anyone anything. Riki could understand that.

            It took everything to not thrust forward into that mouth, now that he was in a better position to do so.

            What was he doing?

            “Stop, Iason,” he ordered through gritted teeth. Nevertheless, Iason managed to pop the head of Riki’s dick into his mouth. “Fuck. Fuck, fuck.”

He had to close his eyes as he came harder than he ever did in his life. It was even more intense than the first time he came with his prostate, and he thought nothing in his life would ever top that. But nothing beat another person, especially not their incredibly talented mouth, especially as it delicately tongued his length.

“That was the best head I’ve ever gotten. And you were barely down there two minutes.”

The arrogance in those blue eyes made Riki smile. Hell, he deserved it.

“Practicing at home, were you?” Muscular shoulders shrugged insolently. “I ‘preciate it. Get on the sofa.”

He was taking out another condom in Iason’s size, from the bowl, and he slipped it on after Iason was comfortable. The sofa being a chaise longue sort of affair, Riki had the chance to stand at one end, to pull Iason’s hips to the edge and attempt to push Iason’s legs back to his chest.

Except there was a little bit of resistance.

“I already had my hand up here,” Riki told him with a grin, pushing again.

Iason wasn’t having it. His face was hidden in the crux of his arm but Riki (rightly) assumed his face was the color of a Fuji apple. Letting him hide, the smaller man kept up the pressure on Iason’s legs, knowing that, much sooner than later, they were going to give. Adorably, just as they were about to, Iason reinforced them with his own hands.

“Put your hands behind your head.” There was enough hesitation for him to say, “Now, Iason.” Arms went above his head, legs spread far apart. “Why would you hide such a sight from me, especially when your dick looks like it wants some attention? Now that I have a _good_ look, this hole of yours-” Iason’s legs regained a bit of strength, but for mere moments before falling open again. “This hole. It looks tight. I’mma give you some homework for Wednesday. Work your way up to three fingers. As best you can, yea?”

Iason nodded, quickly, still not looking in his direction.

“Good.” He let his hand return to that bared perineum, moving around with minute strokes until he saw Iason’s eyebrows knit in worry. “Iason. Look at me.”

He didn’t look Riki entirely in the face, but there was an eye in his direction, and Riki accepted that. With what he had planned, Iason needed a bit of confidence.

“Iason. I’mma suck you off again. I’m going to try to make you come three times. Try not to fight it, as long as possible. Tell your mind to just _submit_ to the pleasure.” Riki lowered himself, whispering, “Submit to me. All you have to do is speak to make me stop. It doesn’t matter if you only came once, or if you manage to get to two, anytime. Alright?”

Riki waited patiently for Iason to nod. He waited a bit more for Iason to nod with a bit more confidence.

Swallowing him down, Riki was just the tiniest bit disappointed Iason didn’t come right away, but he did once a finger found his prostate externally. Forearms holding back Iason’s legs, Riki’s upper body workouts were really proving themselves, not needing to mention his practice at being the best mouth within a hundred miles. The combination of both kept Iason from popping his head between his legs. Riki didn’t have a gag reflex- well, doctors said he did, it just didn’t work as it should.  A cock down his throat took less skill than keeping his teeth from digging in, or from it catching on the condom. He did it though.

Iason was panting with his mouth wide open; just what Riki wanted to see. Like a trooper, his arms were still above his head. Riki didn’t count them being up there long.

All of his throat went into swallowing hard each time his mouth hit the base, leaving Iason’s prostate alone. In preparation for the finale, he pulled the bowl underneath the sofa to his side. Anytime from now, Iason may suddenly need the bowl.

Then, he hummed, catching the hands that flew down by the wrists, forearms held fast keeping Iason’s legs open, and damn it all if his body wasn’t being put through the wringer. Still, he managed to use one hand to jerk Iason off so that he could say what he already knew: “You’re fighting it, because you know what’s happening. Don’t fight it.” Iason’s hand, now free, hovered over Riki’s rapid stroking. Forming a fist, then spread his fingers, fist, fingers splayed. “There we go. Let me see you come again, Come for me.” That did the trick.

“Haaaah! G-Ge…” Iason pressed a hand over his mouth to keep any words from forming. Silently, he endured the second time.

Before he could finish completely, Riki deep-throated him. A knuckle kneaded his prostate just where Riki left it. Nothing could stop the ferocious growl as he went after his goal. The shot of ecstasy as Iason shot up and attempted to escape by pulling back, as he used what remaining strength _he_ had to pull Iason right back to the edge, pinning him down by his thigh joints. Thumb went back to milking Iason’s prostate.

He looked, not wanting to miss the expression on Iason’s face- his arms were in the way.

A hand replacing his mouth once more, Riki commanded, “Arms behind your head!”

The tone of voice had Iason following immediately. The slight look of fear- this was true living!

Riki pulled him up, so that he could sit there. Sit there and take it. “You want me to stop?” Iason took a moment, busy catching his saliva back into his mouth. He shook his head; his hands were holding his elbows. Hair messily spread across his sweating shoulders, he looked exhausted. “You sure? You look ready to throw in the towel.”

Iason shook his head again; curses were formed by his lips, given no breath for even the slightest word.

“Alright.” Keeping Iason’s chin straight, locking gazes, Riki went back to his position, quickly wiggling his finger; it was beginning to ache, like the rest of him, but it was worth it to see this. Iason’s tears pricking the corners of his eyes, the inevitable trail down his chin, his abdomen clenching and unclenching as he tried to relax, fight his sensitivity to an unknown point. Following an order. Fighting. For him. For Riki.

Whimpers through clenched teeth.

The beginnings of real sobbing, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

The look. The look that _something_ was different. That he made it, wherever it was.

His words, “Riki, god, Riki, I’m coming, I’m coming,” coming from somewhere deep from his subconscious, as his eyes looked down, unseeing.

Riki freed him from his mouth, proud to see Iason sitting there, coming for that third time, shooting blanks, gasping desperately for breath. His arms down, fingernails dug so hard into Riki’s shoulders, he knew that he would be getting welts even through his shirt. That was fine. Iason’s shuddering urged on his own second orgasm, as he fisted his own dick just watching Iason come to terms with his body.

He was no beginner though. He was basking in the afterglow and yet ready for Iason to exclaim dizzily, “Riki! Riki! I’m… I have to-” Knowing exactly what was happening, the smaller man readied the bowl, handling the wilting penis in a platonic matter, and pulled off the condom, making sure the hole was aimed correctly. Iason tried to stop himself of course, but it was three orgasms too late for him to try to get his dick under control. His piss hit the bowl; his body went forward, completely relaxed, finally.

Putting the bowl back underneath the sofa, Riki pulled off his full condom, fighting the urge to empty its contents onto Iason’s still quivering stomach, but instead putting it in the container for used condoms, adding the one from Iason right next to it. He couldn’t help but feel warm and fuzzy with that, because he was an unabashed pervert.

He had to puppeteer Iason to lie back onto the sofa. Taking off his pants, he lied down next to him. As he expected, the blond was but a stone’s throw away from falling asleep, keeping his tenuous grasp on consciousness by an expectation.

Riki met it: “You can sleep for a bit. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Iason whispered, “I’m not slee-” but he fell asleep before he could even finish, eyes fluttering closed. His chest rose and fell in rhythm to his light sleep.

Watching him sleep, Riki refrained from separating and taking multiple pictures. He could relish the moment without pictures. A beautiful, naked, and satisfied man in his arms. Nothing could break his mood right now.

As if God was tired of his boasting, Riki remembered that he still hadn’t told Iason about his clothes. Now that everything was said and done, he didn’t really want to anymore, at least not today (and therefore tomorrow), so he snuggled close into Iason’s open arms and let the matter go way to the back of his mind so that he could savor the moment.


	5. Peanut Butter Center

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one needed to know all his business. Not his mother, not his friends, and definitely not Jupiter.
> 
> Especially Jupiter. 
> 
> Especially her. 
> 
> If that was true, then why did he tell him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have always disliked peanut butter. I've always tried to eat it because we were poor and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were a staple. Jelly by itself is incredibly unfulfilling. And in a box of chocolates I feel it is such a waste to simply throw it away. I eat them. Swallow it all down whole with coconut. I'll be fine. 
> 
> I hope I had added enough coconut at the end to make this more tolerable. The last two chapters will be more coconut than peanut butter, I promise.

            Iason didn’t think he would be that put out by putting some space between Riki and himself. Of course he could go a day without somebody. He could go days without anyone on earth. What kind of person did Alec think he was? Some pining teenager who’s never found love and was drowning himself in the only experience of genuine affection from a stranger in his life?

            Anyway.

            Why did he ever agree to such a thing? This was an important time for the two of them!

            He wrote a multitude of messages that excused his actions of breaking the silence, but he never sent them, and he never broke the silence. The man was quite proud of himself. He didn’t admit to himself that the only reason why he never sent anything was because he started on his ‘homework’ just as he felt his control was about to slip. Three fingers up inside him was a lot easier than Riki seemed to suggest. What was hard was making the actions feel halfway decent. Plus, he was incredibly sore from the day before. Being sore did not abate his lust in the slightest.

            That only got him, horny and definitely pining, so far. He woke up (on time) on Thursday, dick hard, and fingers flying to his phone. What were they doing today? When were Riki’s classes over? Want to hang out? Our friends are getting together again? Sure, I’ll be there, sure, I’ll be there, and the afternoon arrived with Iason flying to the food court. Apparently that was different from the cafeteria and also had a coffee shop- which means the thirteen have been stopping at Midas Avenue for nothing. It was the first floor of the Neal Darts Building, a place Iason and his friends only went to for AAA meetings, much like AA meetings, but with even more alcohol.

            Now he was practically skipping from his class to Neal Darts, eyes on the lookout for any asshole that tried to ruin his day. It was bad enough he had to apologize to that piece of excrement called Chad and return his tissue paper- wait, that wasn’t the words for them. Oh, yes, it was ten twenty dollar bills, the exact same as Chad had handed over on Tuesday. Chad had grinned over the exchange.

            “Is that a sorry? I don’t think I heard you,” Chad taunted, his cousin Sean at his side, and a couple other nobodies nearby. Iason had Raoul and Gideon.

            “You also haven’t heard me suing your parents. But if you keep pushing it, listen a bit harder.”

            Much like Chad, Sean faltered a bit. Chad mayhap forgot to add that little part in. Sean stopped his idiocy with a hand on Chad’s shoulders.

            “We got better things to do.”

            Of course when they left, Iason had to explain what the ambush was about to Raoul, and he was lectured about being mean and making enemies for no reason and blah blah blah, and in general it was just a really bad Wednesday.

When he arrived, he didn’t even need to search the building, even though it was the biggest building on campus. A general raucous conglomerate could be heard all the way from the entrance. When he was in seeing distance there was an enormous, “HEEEEEY!” from his friends, old and new, that quite embarrassed him.

Then he remembered that he didn’t owe a single onlooker anything, and so happily waved and took his spot next to Raoul and an empty seat because (OF COURSE) Riki wasn’t there yet.

Iason recognized Sid, Luke, and of course Guy, and was formally introduced to Norris, Mimea, Daryl, Katze, Cal and Kyrie, whose mismatched eyes he wanted to capture for all posterity. With a picture, of course.

For the first time in his life, he saw a serious separation of the Blondies among other people. Gideon was all but sitting in Luke’s lap, but was talking excitedly with Mimea over what Iason believed was make-up, as he only recognized they were saying some colors. Haynes and Griffith (with Zeke on his side) flanked Sid, exchanging notes on exercise routines, which Iason’s friends apparently brought from the house just for Sid to see. Orphe, alone, seemed to be getting help on Calculus from Luke. Aisha and Leon were on either side of Norris, whose phone was hooked to a tiny speaker as they watched someone microwave electronics. Ruphias, who, again, was the usual part of _that_ crew, sat on the other side of Raoul with Hubert, Gilbert and Marcus sitting intermittent with Guy, Katze, Daryl, Cal, and Kyrie, all playing Uno in pairs in order to conserve cards. Although Hubert and Cal were the only ones paired from different groups, it seemed that that was the purpose. They were seated rather close.

Guy asked, “Hey, Iason, do me a favor and tell me what colors Raoul and Ruphias have.”

“Yellow and blue,” Iason answered.

“We only have two left, Iason, why!” Ruphias demanded, pushing out his lower lip to let it wibble. Daryl poked a French fry at it. Grinning, Ruphias bent forward and ate the whole thing.

The tables pushed together were full of food sampling all the food from the court. None of the ‘restaurants’ there were any franchises, but their themes were much the same of the regular fast food fare in a strip mall. Mountains of fries, chips, tacos, sliders, plus cookies, brownies, and, randomly, chocolate cannoli, and a number of cups full of juice, soft drinks, and tea took up what remaining space there was.

Raoul passed him his favorite drink. Just as Iason reached for it, he picked it up and downed it all.

“Really?” Iason was quite humored. It wasn’t very often that Raoul, or any of them really, were truly playful with each other. “You don’t even like cola.”

“That’s why it was root beer.”

Ruphias made a gagging sound, then pleaded as he saw the card being placed on the table, “No, no, really? Aren’t we friends now, Katze? Don’t play that one.”

Katze put his plus-two wild card back into his hand and instead placed down a plus-four wild card. His straight face was truly what set off their side of the table, even as Ruphias pulled four cards with his lower lip wobbling once more.

“Iason, oh-my-god, you missed it!” Gideon turned to Iason, crawling over the other side of Luke, making Orphe roll his eyes as he had to pick up his work to give Gideon room.

This outburst had everyone coming from their respective activities to lean forward, apparently ready for Gideon to relay what was probably a very entertaining story.

“So, like, me and Orphe got here first and it was just Luke and Katze, right? We were just buying food and minding our business and here comes Isaiah.”

Iason’s eyebrows rose.

“He’s the vice president in SGA? My ex? I feel like I’ve told you a dozen times.”

“Ah. Sorry about that.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Correct. Please continue.” A round of laughter.

Unable to keep from smiling as the mood lightened, Gideon did continue, “Isaiah comes by and wants to talk to me ‘in private’ and, you know, I’m just tired of talking to him and his Good Book. I’m tired. Tired! So, I told him no. And then he’s like, ‘I don’t like the company you’re starting to keep’. So I take out my phone and go to Calendars and ask him to show me when I asked for his opinion, you know?” Luke, who was taking a sip of hot tea, snorted and spilled a bit on the table.

Gideon admonished, “You were there! How does this part take you by surprise?”

“It’s just so fucking funny! Isaiah’s face, maaaaan.” 

“I don’t remember his face, I was so mad. And Isaiah says to me that our time together made him realize how much he wanted the best for me.”

Luke started laughing again, even Katze, who had a hard-to-read face (and Iason really hoped it wasn’t because _he_ had a hard time looking at his scar across his face- _what happened?_ ), which started making other people laugh.

Finally Gideon went on, “So I tell him-oh, I got a little mean.”

Iason and Raoul turned to each other at exactly the same time. It took a lot to make Gideon Lagat mad. A lot. Sure, someone could upset him, or make him sad, but to push him to the point where he was angry, he got a little mean. Little mean was his way of saying that he eviscerated someone, and then flayed them, then poured salt in the wounds. Some were foolish enough to keep kicking. He started the process over, twice as vicious.

“A little mean?” Luke said a bit incredulously. “You roasted him alive.”

“Oh, I wasn’t that bad!”

The entire tables answered, “Yes, you were.”

“Anyway, so I tell him that he fucking broke up with ME. YOU DID.” Gideon’s voice changed as he simply reenacted: “If you wanted the best for me, you would be sucking my dick instead of trying to make me a goddamn closeted hermit like you are! I’m tired of you. Literally, tired. Do you remember how you said that you are _tired_ fighting the Lord’s Will? Well I’m the motherfucking Lord! Begone!”

Despite them obviously having already heard the story, the tables were nonetheless in stitches once more, including Iason, who _always_ enjoyed Gideon losing his cool and going off.

“This idiot says, ‘That’s blasphemy! This is what we call blasphemy. It’s one of the worst sins’!” Gideon’s long-suffering eye-roll was completely genuine, even as a repeat.

“I tell him, ‘How can you possibly think I care? How? You can stick your blasphemy up your ass. It’ll keep the poor thing company until your brain catches up with the rest of you’ and he’s like, ‘That’s fucking disgusting’, and I’m like, ‘So is your sense of style but I was willing to overlook all that if you weren’t a nutcase! Are your ears in working order? I think you’re crazy. You have misinterpreted your lust for me into some religious drive. I would attempt to fuck it out of you, but I’m seriously afraid you’ll curl up and start crying, and then praying, and make my dick shrivel up like a raisin’.” Gideon took a break, slurping up bubble tea and chewing a couple balls of tapioca. “‘Not all the Hail Mary’s in the fucking world will get me back together with you’ and I told him, ‘I’ve never broken up with anyone in my life. Never. But once you drop me to the curb I’m taking the next fucking bus and will not be on your side of town ever again.’

“And, goddamn, this fool keeps talking.”

Iason deadpanned, “How unfortunate.” For Isaiah.

“He gets all quiet as if he’s super serious, ‘I honestly feel as if this is something God has brought me to this Earth to do, why can’t you understand that?’. So I get real serious too and tell him, ‘God will never forgive you for giving in to your hedonistic appetite. He knows you are constantly on the verge of giving in. He’s hardened my heart against you because you only became repentant after you gave in to your desires. You know, in your heart, that God has forsaken you and will never come back. _Never_. Hellfire is closing in, and once you finally fall, you can continue to grovel at God’s feet for forgiveness.’”

Sid made a small cross over his chest, small enough to make it obvious that he was trying to hide it. 

As no one was laughing quite at this, Gideon said defensively, “I’m atheist! What does it matter what I have to say? Plus, isn’t that religion all about forgiveness and shit?”

From behind him a tight voice answered, “Sounds like you went after his deepest insecurities that ain’t have nothin’ to do with the issue at hand, and that ain’t cool.”

As the man made himself visible, the whole table went into their last round of, “HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!” loudest and most boisterous of all.

Then Riki’s friends all stood up to surround him (well, it seemed Cal and Katze had to be dragged from their seats). With this, a number of onlookers made themselves an audience complete with their phones out to record whatever was supposed to happen: the Triple O members made an O shape, shaking their shoulders in rhythm to their words, “Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay-ay-ay-ay!” Then right there in the middle of the large walkway of Neal Darts they did a dance that they’ve obviously been doing for a while. Jump forward, jump forward, back, back, forward, forward, back-back, forward-forward, back-back and then, again, “HEEEEEEEEY!” with the crowd joining in (Iason could even hear people on the upper floors), all raising their hands from behind them to make a large circle as they slammed their hands on the floor and concluded with, “OOOOOOOOOOOOH!”

The clapping was nearly deafening.

Leon, particularly excited when it came to group dancing, asked as soon as it quieted down a bit, “What’s that? Can you teach us?”

As everyone started back to the seats, Riki said a bit breathlessly (still standing), “Well, the unwritten rule for Triple O is that you’re not in any social fraternities. Triple A is, shit, the biggest social fraternity on Tanagura. Hell, Amoi has three other schools, all with Triple A and all the biggest. So y’all are the biggest fraternity in the city.”

“Oh… It’s a Triple O dance… Then I’ll quit Triple A!” As was usual, Leon forgot the particulars of why they joined Triple A.

“No!” Gideon cried. “My dad wants me in this fraternity, and the Minks and the Zavis! Don’t make us be in this damn thing alone. Please. Pleeeease!”

Leon pouted. “I forgot we joined it to keep y’all company.”

“We really enjoy your company,” Orphe said, most heartfelt. More like he enjoyed the buffer between him and Iason.

Riki came up behind Iason’s chair with a grin both soft and provocative (little did Iason know that Riki was judging his smile just the same way), bending over to kiss him on the cheek. Gideon, Hubert, and Mimea all squealed with delight. So did Sid, Luke and Haynes, with much exaggeration, earning themselves chicken tenders thrown in their general direction.

Iason tried his best not to gloat in Orphe’s general direction, and ended up gloating in Gilbert’s general direction.

Riki then whispered in his ear, “Gotta talk to ya.”

“In private?”

“If you want. It’s about your clothes from Tuesday.”

His clothes from Tuesday? Tuesday was when Chad ruined his jacket, then Riki put him in his place and it was sexy as hell… Then they went into the classroom and Riki made him see stars. Then they took pictures on his bike. After that, Riki proved that he could not be trusted with any vehicle in existence. Went home… Changed…

His pants.

His underwear.

He trusted everyone at the table but he didn’t trust not being lectured and Iason really would like to go through a day without a lecture from anyone but a professor talking about their profession and nothing else. Iason stood, following Riki to a far corner of Neal Darts. It had no tables or chairs. Just two large windows on either side of the narrow column taking up the middle. On this column Riki and Iason rested upon, close enough to feel each other’s body heat, and that was just enough to get Iason excited.

Riki rubbed the back of his neck. “So, um, stay calm.”

“I don’t think anyone has ever prefaced anything with _that_ and the following was not a just cause for alarm.”

Making a face, Riki nodded in agreement. “Well, prepare yourself then. So, your clothes-”

“Please don’t tell me they got thrown away or some nonsense. I only dislike ruining of my clothing if someone I hate does it.”

“Shit, I wished someone threw them away,” Riki admitted. “But that ain’t what happened. Mr. Jones found them.”

“Never taking one of his classes again then.”

“And he planned on giving them to me when I came to class on Tuesday.”

Here Riki made an intensely uncomfortable face that only piqued Iason’s curiosity further. “And?” he prompted.

“He saw…. Sean first.”

Iason felt his stomach drop to his feet. “No….”

“And because Mr. Jones knew you were in Triple A-”

“Noooooooooo.”

“And Sean is the president of Triple A-”

“No. No, no, no, no-”

Riki talked over him, “He gave Sean your clothes to give to you.”

“Fuck! Fuck a fucking duck, fuck!”

“Uh, save your rage for just a few more minutes.”

“Are you implying there’s more?”

“Correctomundo. So Sean brings your clothes-”

“To Triple A?”

“Also wish.”

Iason was a bit bewildered. What could possibly be worse than that?

“He brought them to Dean Jupiter.”

The floor looked awfully comfortable at the moment. A groundhog hole would be even better. An underground basement. With enough stockpiled, he could stay there for years, decades even.

Riki kept talking, with words, awful, awful words: “That’s what took me so long to get here. Dean Jupiter called me to her office saying to stay away from you and then she got super fucking crazy-”

Uh, oh.

“She started saying that you have a great future ahead of you and that I was tainting the air you breathe, and blemishing your skin with the darkness in my soul, dragging you through the mud. Like, I know racism, but that… Shit, that was something else, and she dragged on like this for a full forty-five minutes, no joke. Saying that the only reason she wasn’t protecting your every move from the evils of the world was because of the little falling out with your dad-”

LITTLE?!

“Little! Little! She tricked me into signing a marriage certificate!”

Whoops. That can of worms have been shut tight for so long.

Riki’s eyebrows rose so far that on his frozen face it looked as if he had just gotten stabbed and was slowly going down.

“I’mma need some context on that.”

Iason didn’t want to talk about it; he didn’t want to think about it, but the full effect of Jupiter being dean made itself apparent to him. If Riki had never met him, he would never have had this awful experience.

“It’s a long story.”

“I gots time for this story.”

Well… He deserved an explanation.

He could open the can a little bit.

“You’ll need a lot of context. Shortly after I was born, our grandmothers, all thirteen of our grandmothers. At the time there were… about twenty left. They took a vacation together on a cruise. The plane to where the cruise took off crashed.”

Riki now look more surprised than ever. His forehead will be aching by then end. “Wooooah…. Okay. Shit. Okay. _Jesus_. Take it they all died?”

“Unless they faked the recordings and are living on an island in the Caribbean. I tell you this because my mother was very, very close to grandmother. Her father died long ago when she was young.” Iason was already feeling nauseous and he wasn’t even to the part that actually affected him. “So when a woman around grandmother’s age, looking incredibly similar to her comes around saying that she was some estranged aunt that wanted to help her get through this tough time, Mother hardly even questioned it.”

Riki’s eyes went upward as he thought aloud, “That would make Jupiter your great-aunt.”

“Unfortunately, she was telling the truth. Mother then decided to make Jupiter my godmother and au pair for all of us.”

“She made Jupiter a pear?”

“Au pair.”

“A pair of…”

“An au pair. A person that takes care of children?”

“A nanny?”

“Except also taking care of cleaning, and our extra education, and taking us to parks and doctors’ appointments when our parents couldn’t, plus many other things.”

“A super nanny.”

Smiling, Iason conceded, “Usually the best money can buy, if Jupiter accepted money, but she didn’t, which made her so fucking insidious. She also, according to the other adults-”

Riki cocked his head to the side. “Other adults?”

“Oh, our parents. I can’t believe I said that. I’ve been an adult for three years.”

“Yea, well, adulting doesn’t hit you until middle age, I hear,” Riki joked.

“Truth. According to the adulting adults, she actually had real standards for us and evened out Daddy’s love.”

They couldn’t believe she would do something like-

“Daddy?”

“Yes, Daddy.” Iason dared Riki to make fun of him for it, narrowing his blue eyes to slits as a warning.

Scratching his chin, Riki recovered, “I’ve only heard about your mother, so I assumed… Daddy was out of the picture.”

“Oh, no, not at all. I just don’t get in trouble with Daddy, ever. He doesn’t judge every move I make.” Riki snorted for some reason. “Although Daddy and everyone says that Mother wouldn’t be like she is towards me without Jupiter’s influence, especially in the middle of post-partum depression and grief over the last of her family.”

Riki’s eyes darkened. “Alright. I’m unpleasantly surprised we haven’t even gotten to the marriage certificate business.”

“I think that is enough backstory.  Actually, let me also tell you that I-” He didn’t need to lie like this, “-never liked Jupiter, and everyone said it was because she didn’t spoil me. They said that Daddy spoils me, can you believe it?”

“I can’t, nope, not at all, even a little bit.”

Iason once more squinted. “Your sarcasm is unappreciated.” His slight anger disappeared when Riki winked. “Thing is, she was hardest on me, and was the biggest barrier to anything I ever wanted to do. She would have Mother team up on me to discourage me from anything from wearing cheaper clothes to eating fast food because it didn’t cost nearly as much money as some fancy restaurant. She would say shit like, ‘Those are clothes for people who can’t afford what we can afford. Why would you take that from them?’ and ‘Those fast food places are so unhealthy. This place is fulfilling and twice as good for him’.”

She quickly convinced him of those things as well.

“I see that Jupiter can be convincing,” Riki remarked.

“Hidden underneath all that convincing was the most holier-than-thou persona anyone could imagine. Crazy levels of holier-than-thou.

“One day, the summer before my senior year and we have all been but ready to go to Tanagura University here, Daddy tells Jupiter that if I don’t want her to go with me anywhere, she’s not allowed to go. He said that I was about to be an adult and needed to learn to stand on my own two feet.”

Not at all fooled, Riki added, “Underneath was him saying, ‘Stay the fuck away from my boy’.”

“Never.” Iason smiled victoriously. Daddy had always known something was off. “As you can imagine, that didn’t sit well with Jupiter at all. She would, as far as we knew at the time, eavesdrop on conversations and go through my phone and my computer if they weren’t locked. And tell everything to mother and Daddy really started pushing for my privacy. By then, Jupiter had all but abandoned the others, Raoul and them. And they… They took that kind of hard.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But you must understand that they didn’t have to deal with Jupiter twenty-four-seven and really only received the best of her as a loving caretaker. Orphe especially. He was always a little tattle-tale to her and she loved that, but then he stopped because he has a fucking conscience. Jupiter just… Dropped him. As if he had never existed.”

Riki pulled his lips in a nervous-like gesture. “And here I was thinking Orphe was just a hater…”

“You must have questioned why we were even still friends.”

“Yea, I did.”

“That’s why.”

Riki’s expression softened, but all he said was, “I get it.”

“But that’s not all. Whenever Jupiter was desperate she still went to Orphe, and then Orphe’s dad found out, and Daddy and him are best friends, so Mr. Zavi tells Daddy and… Daddy made an ultimatum to Mother.”

“Jupiter… Or him,” Riki guessed.

“Him and me. He would hire me immediately out of school and I’ll travel wherever he needed me, after a bit of a probationary period where I learned the ropes, of course. Daddy left for a while after that, to show her he was serious. He sent Mother gifts every day- silly stuff that only the two of them would appreciate- to show that he still loved her.

“Mother didn’t tell me at the time, but she had a conversation with Jupiter that made her choose Daddy, thank god. She’s told me why since then: She had gone to Jupiter to talk to her, but instead of reacting and having a sane conversation, Jupiter acted incredibly jubilant over the entire thing.” Iason’s stomach began to turn more heavily with each passing word.

Riki was closer and holding him by his hips, whispering, “Hey. Maybe this ain’t the best time. You can tell me some time later.”

“So that Jupiter can continue to hound you without you knowing exactly what you’re getting into? No, I can do this.” He could. He could live it all again for just a few more moments, for Riki.

For Riki.

Chugging through, Iason continued, “Mother had only told her the ultimatum at this point, and she told me…. She told me that it was like a lightning strike in the sunlight, how happy Jupiter was. The brewing storm starting to crowd her rosy-tinted view. Jupiter started talking about how Daddy was a horrible influence, a bad person, and she was glad to help with Mother getting full custody of me. Said that the only reason Daddy existed was to add the other half of my purity.”

“Purity?” Riki clarified.

“My mother asked the same. Jupiter asked her, did she believe I was pure? Did she understand how special I was? How I was destined for greatness? At this point, Mother was trying to find out how far gone Jupiter was, and said yes, of course she did, Jupiter has always said so and she has always agreed.

“Do you know why? Jupiter asks.

“My mother responded as any mother would, that I was a sweet child, smart, brave and those sorts of things and Jupiter is like, that’s not all. Have you ever thought of how rare a treasure I was? I came from two lines of tainted blood and came out pure as diamond.”

Riki, deservedly looking quite confused, asked, “I’m not following? Is she talking about your Dad? Him not being rich, or part of the family, or somethin’?”

This made Iason realize that Riki obviously didn’t know what his parents looked like. He took out his phone, ignoring the shaking of his hands, and went to the Christmas picture of him with his parents, the first picture of them without Jupiter in it. Both his parents held two large framed pictures of their parents, so that if anyone ever saw, they’ll know just how much Jupiter was out of their lives- as much as possible, anyway.

He showed Riki this picture.

He blinked once.

Twice.

Rapidly.

Once.

Thrice.

Finally he said slowly, “Your parents… are pretty… tanned.”

“They are both half-black. Those people they are holding are my grandparents.”

“Your grandfathers… Pretty black. Very black. They darker than me.” Still rarely blinking he said to the picture. “I’m guessing Auntie Jupiter was estranged because Grandma Mink was down for the swirl.”

“The… Swirl?”

Blink-blink. “As in, swirling in some chocolate syrup in the vanilla ice-cream.”

“Ah. Ahhhhh.” Iason choked out a chuckle involuntarily. “Actually, my grandmother was the one estranged. She met grandfather here at Tanagura. Grandfather was rich, especially rich for a black person.”

“Ooooooh, I bet.”

“So Grandmother didn’t really feel the pain economically, just… In her soul, I suppose.”

Riki sighed, “Haaaaaaaaaah. You STILL haven’t explained the marriage certificate!”

Iason laughed, explaining some more, “Mother knew exactly what Jupiter was saying- she’s been hearing it from other people and supposed friends and acquaintances since I’ve been born. Hell, she heard it from the doctor who said I was a miracle. People would want to get pictures of us all the time.”

“It’s obvious they’re your parents, you look so much like both of ‘em…. That prolly didn’t help.”

“It did not. Plus I’m white, phenotypically at least, and most people just don’t think of white kids as being adopted by darker-skinned people, even if they obviously look mixed. So. My parents never said yes because I’m not some animal at a zoo, but Jupiter would always share the fact.”

He would share with her.

Riki was shaking his head, filling in the gaps with, “Your mama finds out not only Jupiter was crazy, but she’s crazy racist.”

“And the only reason Jupiter stayed by Mother’s side was because she wanted to be in the presence of perfection.”

“Oh, yea. Ah, fuck, that’s… Goddamn, your mom… And, fuck, _you_.”

“Me?”

“Don’t expect me to believe that all that attention didn’t get to your head a little bit.”

Iason’s stomach tightened more painfully than it had than even when he first heard the words from his mother, as the words sunk into his mind, as he realized why it took his mother so long to reveal that conversation. He’s always felt it, this sick squeezing of his heart, but now, just now, he truly understood it.

“She didn’t think I was special because of me.”

“Yea.”

“I’m not… special. But I knew that all along.”

“Did you really? Truly believed that?”

He did not. At all.

He didn’t want to admit it.

“Iason?”

“Mother said she started crying after a while.” Riki let him change the subject. “She convinced Jupiter it was out of happiness and relief. She asked Jupiter to take me somewhere special, planning on getting Father by her side later that day with the PJ to tell Jupiter the bad news.”

“PJ? Pajamas?”

“Private jet.”

Riki’s laughter made him calmer. Not by much, but enough.

When Iason starts talking again, he doesn’t notice that his voice gets flatter and flatter, his face draining more and more of any and all expression, eyes going blank, his arms crossing tightly into himself, and he relays the information robotically, as if it happened to someone else far away with no relation to him.

Riki noticed.

“Jupiter is so excited she takes me to this hotel. The most expensive in the city. Chauffeur is driving. She’s talking to someone about how something was coming to fruition. She gets off the phone. Tells me this was the beginning of something beautiful.” A simple stopping of his words almost makes Riki speak before Iason restarted, “Tells me that I don’t need Father, you know. She says that: You know? Just something to think about, she says. She had people she wanted to meet. After that, family. My real family, where blood is preserved well. She says that. Preserved well.

“We get to the hotel. A trashy thing full of gold and pearl and even more gold. Ghastly.

“She signs something. Says for me to sign it, too. A membership thing she said. We go to the top floor and there’s this lady my age and a bunch of other people. She’s… terrified. When we are given some time together, or, rather, the adults got together to plan our fucking wedding, the woman asks if I signed the paper, hoping I didn’t. I told her I did.

“Then we’re married already, she says. I didn’t know, she says. I promise I didn’t know. She says her name is Medea and that she was born almost the same way I was, albeit a year earlier, and her grandmother was black, her immediate family racist. She didn’t know of her grandmother because she was just a one-night stand. Her grandfather took the child because, at the time, she passed for white. Her parents were set up much more easily than mine were- it was just that sort of time. They’ve been looking for someone that matched their specifics and I was more than perfect. The only reason she was raised right was because her great-uncle pretended to be a lunatic, too.

“After this, I call Daddy.” Iason pressed a hand to his head. Why was he lying again? “Of course, Daddy is ready to kill Jupiter because Mother tells Daddy that she let Jupiter be with me one last time. He’s already called the local police, state police, professional detectives just in case she tries to take me somewhere no one can find me.” He laughed a little. “Medea says they must have forgotten to take my phone, because they took hers. When they end up surrounding the hotel, it was Medea’s great uncle who calmed everyone down and convinced them to surrender.”

There. There it all was.

Not completely. But enough.

Right?

Iason felt so tired. He’s never had to say it all at once before. Never had to think about it much since it happened (most of it).

Riki murmured, “I know this is a fuckton. I know. But… I have a couple more questions. Then, for real, we can never talk about this again, unless you want to for some reason.” He put up one finger. “One. Why the fuck is Jupiter Dean of Students?” He added one. “Two. Why is she still talking with your mother?” He added another. “Three. Do you have to answer to her as dean with y’all’s history?” One last finger. “Four. Do you see a therapist? In order, please, because I have a funny feeling I know the answer to numba’ fo’.”

Frowning at that last question, indeed, Iason complied with Riki’s wish to go in order, “One, she got the job that summer. Most assuredly paid to be there. Two, Mother keeps their attachment precisely because she is Dean of Students, not out of some lingering familial sentiment. Although, three, I have a restraining order against her and I see the Adjutant Dean of Students if needed, Mother does not trust that to keep Jupiter away. It has so far, but why risk it if Jupiter is willing to tell her every twisted thought that comes to her mind. In fact, Jupiter does not know that Mother doesn’t believe as she does.”

“But your mom chose your dad.”

“Mother told her that it was because she didn’t want to be the only divorced person in our group. Plus, who would leave the neighborhood, Mother or Daddy?”

“Your mother is convincing, too.”

“She learned from the best,” Iason answered sullenly.

“Alright. Four?”

“No, I do not. Not for lack of my parents trying.”

“Parentsssss? Both?”

“And, I suppose, Raoul and the other adults. Even Aisha had told me that Orphe sees a therapist, but I’m perfectly fine.”

“Obviously.”

Flaring so suddenly Riki stepped back in surprise, Iason nearly surprised himself, although that didn’t stop him. “I didn’t expect you to judge me,” Iason hissed, hands on his sides and balled into fists.

Riki solidified his stance, _his_ hands on his hips. “I’m not judging you. I just have the judgment that you need to see a therapist.”

“Why are you doing this to me?”

A scowl spread across his dark face. “Don’t be like that.”

“Like _what_? Please explain.”

“You’re taking this personally.”

“How can I not?” Iason yelled, earning him the looks of those nearby. “Are there other persons you are saying to see a therapist? As if Jupiter had me wrapped her around her finger and that I can’t live without her?”

Riki pointed at him. “Don’t you put words in my mouth,” he demanded. “I see a therapist! ‘Cause, guess what, maybe growing up as an orphan that all the adopters overlooked for that kid or that fucking kid or that kid over there and ignoring me until I decided to pretend I didn’t need them MAY have damaged my psyche.”

“I’m not damaged like you!”

Riki ground his teeth together. “Damaged? I’ll bet on my Grandma’s life that you’re _twice_ as damaged as I could ever even be, Iason.”

“Really? Are you sure?” Iason heard a small voice at the back of his head tell him to stop right there. “Twice as damaged as a man who supplements his nonexistent family with a woman _paid_ to take care of him by calling her Grandma?”

Oh.

He didn’t mean that.

He didn’t mean that at all.

A pot calling kettle black.

Iason could hardly watch as Riki’s eyes brightened with tears, and all the energy he had left him in a flush, made obvious as he dropped his hands from his hips. He turned away, saying, “I would think that you’d know that sharing blood don’t make you family.” A few minutes of pure silence passed, as Iason wrestled with possibly apologizing, and then thinking he didn’t have to because it was Riki’s fault for pushing him so far, and thinking that maybe it was him doing the pushing, that, no, Riki should have known not to just throw in those two cents as if he knew everything, but people who knew almost everything about him have said the same-

With his back still to him, Riki asked, “Are you going back to the tables?”

Still wavering on the very edges of his abused pride, Iason was a bit confused by the question, replying softly, “Why?”

“Because if you are, I’m leaving.”

“What?”

“But if, for some reason, you’re leaving, I’ll go back. Just as long as I’m not with you.”

Iason didn’t answer. He tried, and he believed for a moment that he didn’t care if Riki left, he could spend another day or month or year without him!

He left.

He didn’t go back for his jacket or to tell his friends, old or new, that he was leaving. He took an alternate exit out of Neal Darts and began walking, to nowhere in particular as long as it was far from Riki. Being lost in thought was not the word for it. He was lost in… Feeling. Feelings of anger, indignity.

Guilt.

Sadness.

Fear.

Fear that he’s ruined everything.

Then thoughts.

He should have never told Riki all that he had. He should have lied or at least left out whatever parts that would make Iason seem damaged. Iason thought he had hid the worst from him….

_Don’t put words in my mouth._

Damaged psyche, Iason amended unconsciously, hoping to keep Thoughts at bay.

_Sounds like you went after his deepest insecurities that ain’t have nothin’ to do with the issue at hand, and that ain’t cool._

It was more than uncool. It was downright cruel, hateful. Iason didn’t care at all that Riki called the most likely very lovely woman Grandma, just as Gideon could care less about divine judgment.

_I just have the judgment that you need to see a therapist._

As everyone else did. Mother. Father. Raoul. His parents. All three of the Zavis. The Rosens, Lagats, Dominas.

Medea calling him talking about her therapist.

The dinner with her and her great-uncle, as he added his same opinion.

The judge who annulled the marriage.

The judge who decreed the restraining order.

His school counselor asking him out of class and to sit in her chair, crying out to him as he left at once.

Teachers.

Thoughts. Please, no thoughts. They were gone for so long.

What did they see? Did they see his thoughts? Why couldn’t they see he was fine? Nothing permanent had happened; it wasn’t as if he was raped or anything. He hadn’t ever fallen into Jupiter’s spell. That was for the likes of Orphe, Hubert, Leon.

Marcus.

Gideon.

Aisha.

Raoul.

Mother.

He was better than that, stronger than all of them put together.

Unbidden, the thought of Jupiter’s admonishment after the Baywatch woman brought him to: “Iason! Why on Earth would you do that to me? Do you know what would have happened to me and your parents if anything ever happened to you? If you love me, you wouldn’t do things like that.”

His response then: “But I do love you very much and I still do things like that.”

Jupiter’s kiss on his forehead. Her words: “I love you very much, too, Iason, you naughty boy.”

As he woke up from alcohol poisoning and her face was the first thing he saw. His relief that his mother was there.

His real mother, as he used to say.

He would even call Jupiter mom every now and again.

He would especially call her that when they had the many conversations alone together. In the morning over breakfast, over lunch, as she tucked him into bed.

How he remembered that day that summer exactly. Trying not to touch cerebrally on the fact that he did leave out important parts that made him seem…

The thoughts of how…

He was resting his head in her lap, looking on his phone, as the chauffeur drove. He had joked about how ugly the hotel was with her, and she told him that even with all the riches surrounding him, he stood out, resplendent. They took a selfie as he signed the paper without even the slightest thought.

How he told Medea she was a fucking liar, and when he heard the marriage plans carry over from the group of people on the other side of the room, he switched tactics to try and convince her that he’ll be a great husband.

How Medea told Iason that he was just as crazy as Jupiter was.

“Grandmother’s not crazy!” echoed throughout his head.

He hadn’t called his dad. His dad turned the GPS on through his phone, and the police called the apartment and he had answered and said that this was arranged with his knowledge and Grandmother was fine and everyone was fine and everything in the world was fine.

How the only reason he faltered at that moment was because Medea had poison with her and was willing to drink it. Her family had already threatened to disown her and ruin her chances at any semblance of a normal life.

How her great-uncle begged on his hands and knees to stop. Just stop. Please. Just stop. Please. Please. Please.

He didn’t remember much too soon after this. He knew that they didn’t use him as a witness, but his parents still listened to him as he begged them not to press charges and put Grandmother in jail. Or spend all the money they could to try.

Iason protested the restraining order and Daddy, for the first time in his life, truly was angered with him, and told him gravely…

Told him Iason would be committed to a psyche ward for as long as was needed. The best money could buy. Daddy and Mother would visit every week, so would his friends, anyone to visit.

Except Grandmother.

Except Jupiter! Jupiter!

Iason signed the restraining order. He took _Jupiter_ out of his phone, removed their many pictures together from all social media. Covered the tattoo of her name across his shoulder. The blankets she made for him as a child went to charity. Gifts that she bought him, including the car he got for his driver’s license.

Sneaking to meet her every so often, over the course of the summer, the school year until September rolled around, hot even for early autumn. At a park which edges were surrounded with trees, trees to cover the fencing to keep the undesirables out.

And yet, Iason was on the inside.

Iason, shivering with cold, had long sat down at a bench, so far lost in thought he didn’t hear his friends, old and new, calling his name.

He heard her voice, saying his name. Her asking if he still loved his parents.

Why wouldn’t he?

“They are tainted.”

“Grandmother, they are my parents. If they are tainted, then I am. Please don’t talk like that. I’ve asked you.”

“I have complied as long as I’ve been able, my dear. But, listen to me, they can’t taint you if you don’t let them.”

He had smiled then. He smiled now, unthinking.

“What if I let them taint me?” His laughter.

Her frown. “If that happens, then you’re no grandson of mine.”

The lightning strike on that sunny day. “You don’t mean that.” His smile wavering as he said again, “You don’t mean that.”

“Oh, but I do, my love. I have been planning for that wedding for so long. You were named Iason after her. Did you know Iason was another way to say Jason of Greek myth? He had a wife named Medea. I convinced your parents to change your name from Jason. Much more mythical, like you.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“How can I not mean that, Iason? It either is or isn’t. I have raised you as perfect as I was able with the influence of your parents. Iason. Escape with me. Escape from this world that seeks to drag you down.”

“You don’t mean that.”

The storm.

It was so sudden. That storm. The lightning flickered, showing a gun at his heart, from the purse she always carried. The same white purse, Chanel from when Chanel was still alive. He liked to brag about that. Just like he liked to show people pictures of his parents. Isn’t it cool how he came out?

“Escape with me, Iason.”

Her warning shot into the cemented walkway. Possibly the only reason Iason was still alive, as someone nearby recognized the sound as a gunshot.

“You don’t mean that.”

“I would have you pure or not at all.”

“But…” He was getting used to the darkness of the dark clouds; the shock was wearing off as he felt the heat of the gun through his shirt. “I’m not pure,” he reasoned. “I only look that way.”

“See? You know you have the qualifications of real purity.”

That’s not what he meant.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Don’t fight it. You’re special. You’re my everything.”

It was getting hard to breathe. It was hot for autumn and yet he felt so terribly cold. He was getting tired. Would he pass out? Grandmother couldn’t carry him, but she could throw a grand at any nearby jogger for help.

“I’m more than what I look like.” Could he move fast enough before she shot him? She looked so _calm_. “What would you do? Shoot me then shoot yourself?”

“Absolutely not. I’m still pure. Why would I take myself from this world?”

He would not cry. He was stronger than that. Stronger than this. He didn’t need her.

He didn’t need her but he didn’t want to let her go.

Because…

Because…

What did that say about them? Him?

“Iason! Jesus Christ Almighty, Iason! Guys, I found him!”

No… No, that wasn’t until a little bit later. First, he told Grandmother, “Does anything matter more than how I look?”

“Of course. You look that way despite your lineage. A diamond in, pardon my French, amidst so much dung. That’s what make you special. Pure.”

“Are you saying that if my grandparents were all the same, I would be less pure?”

So blithely: “Make you less special, yes. But no less pure.”

His lie: “What if I told you that mother bleached my skin because large parts of my skin across my back was dark? I was born with vitiligo.”

“What? Ah!” Jupiter didn’t move the gun. “That makes sense that she didn’t ever have pictures of you completely naked as a baby! Well, that is… Unfortunate…”

“Aren’t you mad that you wasted your time and effort?”

“It wasn’t a waste when I felt you were pure.”

“Won’t you be sad if I die?”

“If I could remove all the impure of the world, you cannot imagine!” She shivered in complete revelry. Iason shivered, and couldn’t stop, even as she… Put a jacket around him? That never happened. “You won’t be the first, and hopefully won’t be the last. I have a mission.” She aimed at his head.

“He’s not waking up! Oh, fucking hell, I don’t think he’s breathing.”

That didn’t happen either.

“Mother!”

Yes, that’s what happened, his mother had said that. The slight surprise of Jupiter’s face, her looking around for more people.

Mother’s perfect visage as she told Jupiter, “Whatever are you pointing that thing at Iason for? I know he can be rude, but surely not that much.”

“Do not call me mother. I’m no mother of someone so grimy. He’s told me the truth of his birth. I must say, I wouldn’t have wasted my time nursing you back to health for Iason, living underneath the same roof as you and your knuckle-dragging husband. I’m surprised I didn’t blacken in your presence.”

Mother’s perfect visage: “What truth?”

“Vitiligo! Why would you bleach his skin to try to reach perfection? You should have burned it.”

“He never had vitiligo.”

“No need to keep the secret any longer. I have been explaining his fate once he gave in to the tiny part that tainted his soul. It was an unpleasant one and I’m sure Iason realized that. Why would he make it all the worse by lying such to me?”

Mother didn’t answer. Instead she laughed with all the mirth she could muster, stretching her lips at her attempt at a smile as she explained, “You do realize you can’t just bleach skin once and it’ll stay that way forever? Especially growing from a baby to adulthood with vitiligo. The new skin would have darker parts, and would need to be bleached until he stops growing, which would be around his early twenties, my dear mother.”

“My, you are quite correct! Also, do not call me mother, please.”

Jupiter turned to point her gun at her.

Mother’s perfect face crumbled. She went down to her knees. “Mother, please. Please, don’t.”

“I’m not your mother. Everything I’ve done, I’ve done for Iason. Have all my efforts gone to waste? Iason? Will you give in to your impurities?”

“Iason?”

That voice wasn’t Grandmother’s. It was real. When that voice said his name, he meant him only as he knew him, as a person.

“Iason, baby?”

Jupiter would never call him such a thing.

“Iason, can you hear me?”

“Will you give in? Or can I remove one part of it? This woman?”

“Mother, it’s me! It’s me, Eris.”

“Hm. More like Hephaestus. Iason? Will you give in?”

“Iason? It’s Riki.”

Riki?

He blinked, and he was standing in front of his mother staring down Jupiter

“Is this your answer?”

“Yes.” He was ready to go. Just disappear.

“That’s a shame.”

The gunshot.

Not Jupiter’s.

Someone far away had seen the opportunity to shoot Jupiter in the arm once Iason had moved safely away. A number of people came from all over to surround Jupiter and him and his mother. It was getting much warmer… And Jupiter sat there for a long time with her arms, veiny and pale with one bleeding profusely, outstretched until handcuffs encapsulated them.

Mother standing over him- she was taller than him, still was.

“Iason! Why would you stand in front of me? I’ve lived my life! Did you think she wouldn’t shoot? You’ve… Why did you say you had vitiligo? Are you crazy? Oh, I can’t imagine how this… I don’t… I’m sorry. Do you hear me? I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m sorry, okay? I know you didn’t mean it. Please just say something!”

“She was going to shoot,” Iason whispered. Was his mother shrinking?

“What? No, wait, don’t call the police- if Jupiter is as powerful here as you say she is, she has them on payroll. Iason?”

“I deserve to be shot.”

“No. No, you don’t. If you really feel that way tho’, I can give a little spanking. Win-win, I say.”

Iason laughed from deep within himself. Mother was hugging him, giving him so much needed warmth. But Mother would never spank him. Or say though like that.

“I’m not… Perfect.”

“You see how short I am? No one’s perfect.” Iason was laughing again, feeling a silly heat spreading to his cheeks. “There we go, there we go. Can you stand up?”

“I… am standing.”

“And you’re looking me in the eye? I must have grown like a damn beast in the last fifteen minutes! My prayers have been answered!”

“Hahaha… Stop… Making me laugh….”

“Maybe you should stop thinking I’m funny?”

“I can’t help… Can’t help it.”

“Ain’t that a conundrum then? I’ll ask Daryl on how not to be funny.”

A voice. Not his father’s as what should come next, him sweeping Iason into his big arms. It was…

Daryl’s. Daryl’s words: “Really? Right now? Suck my dick.”

“Didn’t I do that back in October?” Riki leaned forward, whispering loudly, “He’s got a big dick, too. My jaw was aching so bad I had to write down on paper saying I had a sore throat so I didn’t have to talk in class.”

People were laughing, calling him a fool, a damn fool, definitely trying to keep the laughter back for the… What was happening?

It wasn’t summer. It was winter. Very cold. Single digits.

He wasn’t seventeen. He hadn’t just escaped the very real promise of his murder. Today he…

“Riki?” Iason’s teeth chattered as his surroundings, the real one, came to him in a rush. His friends, all of them from Raoul to Orphe, to Guy to Mimea. They were all surrounding him on a bench. From the buildings around them, it looked like he was a few buildings from Neal Darts.

He was buried underneath a canopy of jackets from multiple people, and Riki was holding his hands underneath two, one of them his own. Iason believed he must have been outside for some time for everyone to come find him like so. If they were this worried, he must have been outside long enough.

He checked his fingers, moving them in Riki’s hands. If he ended up with frostbite, he’d never live it down.

Everything felt fine. His nose must have been the same or else the lot of them would have been more forceful moving him from the bench.

“I’m sorry for worrying all of you. Riki?” He looked down, catching Riki rubbing at the corner of his eyes quickly, as if trying to hide it. “I’m sorry for those awful words I said. I didn’t mean any of it. I was just being… A little mean…”

“You Blondies keep using those words-” Riki wasn’t even finished with the familiar phrase before everyone started giggling. “Yea, you know the rest. I’m sorry for pushing you about therapy and Jupiter-”

A lightning strike. “I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Yea, yea, okay, okay? That’s fine. It’s okay. Can you stand up?”

“I’m too… sleepy to walk.” Riki turned to Raoul, who shook his head jerkily.

Riki turned back to him. “So. Here’s the deal. Either you stand up and we walk to your car and bring you home.”

“Or?” Iason said sleepily. He was so warm now.

“Or we call an ambulance and you go to a hospital, which would probably have you talking about whatever just happened, which might lead a professional or two or all of them thinking you should see someone that starts with a T.”

Iason tried not to give in to the slightest chuckle, and chuckled anyway. “Subtle as a bison, Riki,” he told him.

“I try. So?”

“I…” What was there to hide? Everyone probably already knew enough. “I need help getting up.”

“Sure thing.”

Riki wasn’t alone. Hands pulled his, other hands supported his shoulders. A voice said quietly, “Don’t let him sit back down,” and someone went behind him on the bench to push him up, the pants looking like the jeans Sid was wearing. He fell forward onto Riki’s small frame, but he was pushed up like he weighed nothing. Raoul came up next to him, slipping his own jacket onto his arms. As everyone formed a protective circle around him, Iason wondered how the cold left him so easily.

They began walking, stopping all of a sudden as three security guards stopped before them.

“Is Mr. Mink alright? Looks like he passed out?”

It was Raoul to wave them off. “No, he’s just a bit tired. Not enough sleep.”

“Are you sure he hadn’t had too much to drink?”

“Excuse me?”

“Dean Jupiter saw him from her office up there.” He pointed up- the Janus building. Just what Iason needed to know, exactly where Jupiter was. He managed to shield himself from that information for nearly a year and a half. All good things come to an end, he supposed. “Said she saw him walk out of Neal Darts without a jacket? Sometimes people who drink too much feel warm all of a sudden.”

Orphe, surprisingly, shouted, “He’s not drunk, you imbeciles! Go away. We have it covered. Go away.”

The security guard smiled good-naturedly. “Look, I know it might be a bit embarrassing for a man your age to have your grandma watching over you, but you don’t have many. Don’t take advantage of her love. She could be gone before you know it.”

Iason huffed, puffed. “Not soon enough.”

“You don’t mean that. Your grandma-”

“My grandmothers are dead! And the moment Jupiter joins them will be decades too late!”

“Sounds like you had a bit to drink.” Those words were slapped away by his colleague. “What the hell was that for?”

The woman ignored him, asking of the group, “How long has he been out here?”

“Twenty minutes, at least?” Raoul answered, giving Iason a look. Oh, Iason will be hearing this later with a bunch of laughter at his expense (He would not).

“So. Jupiter watched her so-called grandson sit out here for twenty minutes? Let him sit there without a jacket?”

“Let him pass out on the bench!”

“He passed out?”

Quickly correcting his words with a lie, “Just lying down because he was tired,” Raoul shook his head.

The last guard whispered, “I told you it was too fucking crazy that some grandma wouldn’t come down from her office if she felt her grandchild was in danger.”

The lady guard nodded. “You did. Your instinct was right on the money. She didn’t say shit until the Triple O members started coming, I bet.” She tipped her hat. “Sorry for bothering you all. If he faints, again, call a hospital. C’mon, Drake. We need to file a complaint about this.”

Gripping his fists together in ire, initial speaker Drake spat out, “I thought we were fucking done with this bullshit! Why is she still working here? Fuck, can we get her fired for attempted murder? This counts as attempted murder, right?” The three walked away, with the second man shooting a middle finger up at Jupiter’s office.

If only they knew.

When they were out of range, finally they could start walking to the parking lot. Riki asked solemnly, “I need you to ask you a question.”

Iason was quite done with questions for the moment. Still: “Yes?”

“Is your house built on an ancient Native American burial ground?”

“What are you saying?”

“He’s being dumb,” Guy told him. “You can ignore him.”

Riki pursed his lips. “Wait, wait, I think I deserve to know what sort of juju I’m embracing when we’re embracing, you know what I mean? ‘Cause, you know, Iason, your luck is just- You know how people say your luck runs out? I think you’re climbing up from the negatives. That kind of debt is grounds for a divorce in most states.”

“I cannot with you,” Iason said, breathless. “Not while walking.”

“For seriously, I cannot with you either. My credit ain’t the best and if being with someone as rich as you is going to bring it down even further, then what good is your money?”

Iason stopped. He was fighting laughing like a hyena so hard there were tears in his eyes, although behind him, he couldn’t see the myriad of responses as everyone tried to stay serious in the midst of an awful predicament.

“There are thirteen of the Blondies,” Katze said, voice dry as toast.

“Don’t feed into his stupidity, Katze, pleeeeease,” Guy begged.

Riki said still, “You make a good point, Katze buddy! Good point!”

Unsuccessfully hiding a bit of a sobbing hiccup in his voice, Gideon added, “But why don’t we all have as bad luck as him then?”

“True!” Riki was nearly serious, which made his antics all the more humorous. “So that means that Iason embodies thirteen to a larger degree than the rest of them.”

“An interesting hypothesis,” Raoul murmured, most likely impressed by Riki’s way with words and seriously considering said hypothesis.

Guy wailed, “The line of defense and common sense are both crumbling.” They were now all just standing around shooting the shit. It was hilarious.

Riki ignored his best friend to probe, “What, was he the thirteenth to reach six feet?”

Griffith shook his head. “That was Marcus. I remember because he wouldn’t shut the hell up about it until Leon caught up.”

“Was he the thirteenth to lose his virginity?”

Gilbert shrugged, saying, “Unless Raoul is lying about that one time, that was me.”

Riki didn’t miss a beat, although he must have immediately regretted that question: “The thirteenth to kiss someone?”

“That was me!” Leon said happily. “It was horrible!”

“Oh, shit!” Orphe laughed out loud.

“What, what, what?” said more than one person now suddenly invested in solving the mystery.

“He’s the youngest!”

Again, more than one person yelled, “Really?!”

Realizing that everyone was expecting him to answer, Iason nodded to confirm.

“Alright!” Riki yelled. “We figured it out, and I just figured out the way to break his curse.”

“It’s a curse now?” Cal jabbed an elbow in Hubert’s direction.

“Since I’m younger than Iason, I can dye my hair, get some colored contacts-”

“I’m going to pee my pants!” Mimea was practically guffawing along with mostly everyone else.

“-throw some flour on my face err’day. I’ll be the fucking fourteenth Blondie in this bitch.”

Finding his voice at this, Iason protested, “A full fourteenth? Without meeting the height requirement? At most, thirteen and three-quarters.”

Guy finally found himself giving in, shaking his head. “Height requirement. Fucking… Hahaahahahahaha! He said height requirement! I’m fucking dead.”

Riki placed a hand on his chest in the best clutching-his-pearls gesture. “All this time you quiet, and here you come out hitting me right square in the dignity.”

Iason quipped (standing up completely straight), “I heard it’s vestigial in people your size.”

“Naw, I wouldn’t say that.”

“Why ever not?”

“Because I’on’t know what vestigial means.”

Wishing to prolong the fun, Iason explained, “It means you can have it, but you don’t really need it. Like an appendix, or hip bones in whales.”

Riki nodded in the most exaggerated fashion. “Well, obviously it’s vesti-gel because it’s all gone. It’s been hurt, it’s been removed, and I’m still standing. I’m a survivor willing to make sacrifices for you. That flour is going to be everywhere.”

Iason, smiling, warmed through and through, wrapped his arms around Riki’s neck- Riki immediately had his arms around his hips ( _squeals_ ). “I think there is a better, less messy way of breaking my curse.”

“I’m all ears. Otherwise, I’ll need to find Isaiah to talk to him about exorcists. I’ll have to make sure Luke is nowhere in sight though.”

“Be together with me.” ( _sigh_ ) “So that when people see one of us, their very next thought is of the other.”

Riki grinned as usual. “We’ve been together a lot, though.” Not done with jokes apparently.

“Maybe we should be as one a few times to get the magic started, like rubbing glowsticks.” Neither was he.

Riki’s face was finally free of worry. “Depends,” he whispered, “if you did your homework.”

“I believe I’ve done enough for extra credit.”

At this, Riki pulled him down for a kiss. Iason returned it, passionately, hungrily, not even thinking about who might be watching. Not at all.


	6. Toffee Nut Crunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riki plans for the final day before his plans for the Valentine's date, as Iason makes clear that the deal was still on. From this he'll learn how much Iason can take. 
> 
> But before that, he has to meet the in-laws.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of wish now that I had separated each chapter into two parts. There are distinct A and B sides to each chapter that could have easily been separated. I put a little tilde border to where things change in this chapter.

It was pandemonium at the Thirteen’s house. The activities of the previous night had put them all in a tizzy and there was not one person who didn’t have an engagement to get to.

Riki in particular had a quiz, but it was math and math was easy; he could pass that quiz with his eyes closed (he will not pass the quiz). Not to mention he had other classes to take. The only saving grace was that Sid woke up at 6 AM without help from an alarm and so, all things considered, they had plenty of time.

Still, more than twenty people even in such a huge place as the mansion (‘House’ as the Thirteen were quick to correct) just made everything much more hectic.

What started out as their two groups hanging out so that everyone could have some closure with the Iason incident, as Orphe had called it, soon became a bit of a party, complete with a little bit of alcohol, then a little bit more, then a whole lot more. The culmination of which was an impromptu game of Hide-and-Go-Seek in the dark, where whoever was ‘it’ used a flashlight to find people. The game morphed into a legitimate seeking out for people as they got lost on all the floors.

Riki didn’t even have a chance to sulk for the better part of the night, he was having so much fun. Learning new things about his new friends, and Iason, like how a feather could hold more alcohol than the blond could. Or maybe that was just the effects of the stress of the day. Riki wasn’t sure how much he would remember.

He hoped Iason was sober enough to remember their talk a bit deeper into the night, in his room, as people separated to bedrooms and couches from all over. It wasn’t that much, just that Riki had heard a short version of Jupiter’s influence. He treaded carefully here, and it was no small relief when Iason, unprompted but soft, told him what happened after the park. Jupiter spent not one moment in any facility, and somehow avoided imprisonment, and Iason and the rest of them could only guess that Jupiter paid her way out in the beginning.

They pressed charges, of course. It went better than they thought it would all the way up to Jupiter’s sentencing, and were struck by the judge’s non-punishment of ‘time served’. There Iason had to explain that ‘time served’ meant that the ordeal of the trial was enough of a punishment to the defendant. Jupiter had disappeared soon after that. He and the rest of the Blondies were assigned body guards, completely destroying their social lives for the rest of the school year. So much so that none of them bothered to walk for graduation.

Before all that, though, Iason spent a month in a mental institution. It served its purpose of making sure he was well enough to get up in the morning and go to school, but no one was fooled that he was okay.

So, he got good at hiding it until no one had reason to ask (Riki was fairly surprised that Iason even admitted _that_ ). When they found out the following spring that Jupiter was still dean at the school, there _were_ plenty of batting eyelashes as Iason had announced that he was going to go anyway.

And everything was fine. Especially as Jupiter rejuvenated conversation with Mrs. Mink.

Until that day, of course.

Riki rounded off the conversation with what happened after Iason left: when Iason hadn’t returned in a reasonable amount of time, Raoul had gone to the Neal Dart’s entrance, and saw Iason’s back a ways across campus, hunched over, holding himself. Beside himself with worry, Raoul returned, saying, “He’s off,” which turned out to be a keyword meaning that Iason needed help. Between all of them, they quickly had the tables and everything in somewhat the usual order, and set off for Iason. But he wasn’t in the direction Raoul had seen him go, which turned their race to him to a search.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hey, what I say? It’s fine. You’re fine. We’re fine.”

“I didn’t mean it.”

“I know.”

That was finally the last time Iason had apologized. Soon enough, he was asleep. If there weren’t two other people in the bed with them (Kyrie and Cal), Riki would have been disappointed, but he, too, just went to sleep.

And awoke to many voices yelling that it was time for school, making him think, just for a couple moments, that he hoped that Grandma Langeais had made omelets for breakfast. Then he heard Iason murmur, “It’s Saturday… Why is everyone yelling so early?”

“It is not Saturday, Iason. It’s Friday!” Cal was shoving his legs into the pants he had removed the night before while looking for his shirt.

Now, after hasty showers, bowing down to Sid’s breakfast spread, and people begging to borrow jackets so it wasn’t too obvious they were wearing the same clothes from the day before, they filed away into cars. The day before, Riki, Sid and the rest of them drooled over the Mustangs and Corvettes and even a Ferrari, begging to drive just one. Then, the Blondies explained that if ANY of them got in a speed-related incident, all of them would be punished with selling their vehicles in return for snail cars made for the elderly.

This didn’t stop the few sly requests for the keys that morning, but, unfortunately, none of them gave in. They separated on campus to their respective classes.

So, after classes (and realizing he really fucked up with the quiz), Riki was walking along, thinking maybe he could get lunch. He didn’t think, even a small bit, that Iason wanted anything to do with him for a while. Perfectly fine with that, he felt Wednesday’s practice would be put to the test. Just hanging out and taking it slow and nice was fine. Of course, he’ll have to find a new sub to come with him to Valentine’s, or he could get real lucky with finding someone there alone. The chances of that happening on Valentine’s relatively nil, he nonetheless looked forward to the holiday. When the blond felt ready, Riki had to be, too. No doubt Iason would demand something spectacular after taking it easy for so long, even if he caused the distance. Riki smiled just thinking about it.

Then his phone buzzed in a distinct manner, the customized manner that heralded the arrival of a text from Iason.

_I don’t feel as if you have judged my homework adequately._

Despite the compassionate understanding he had come to, there was no stopping his initial, “Fuck, yea.” RIki could hardly believe his eyes. Was Iason ready? Yesterday hadn’t been tiring enough for a week? Or, perhaps, he wanted help forgetting it all? Riki didn’t have the makings to be a therapist, yet, but, he could help, just for this week.

_You’ll have to meet me in my office._

_It seems I have forgotten where your office is._

_It’s in a new place. I’m thinking we can also discuss your Valentine’s project there._

Dots sat at the bottom of his messenger for a bit, before Iason dropped the play and demanded, _Address?_

He sent that first. He then added very quickly, _If u feel uncomfortable going n2 the room. I won’t hold it against u if u stay by the entrance, ‘kay?_ , plus, _Plz don’t go in if u don’t want 2._ Riki expected to be the last one to say anything but Iason sent one last message.

_Don’t treat me as if I’m fragile._

Riki should have seen that coming.

_Noted. In fact, I’ll treat you as if you’re invincible._

_I look forward to it._

Riki looked forward to making Iason eat those words.

He turned on heel, thinking about getting a quick burger to eat while he was walking-

He slammed smack-dab into a security guard.

“My bad,” Riki apologized, attempting to go around. His arm was grabbed.

The security guard asked in a voice both hard and guiling, “Are you Riki LNU?”

Riki bristled at the common epithet. “My last name ain’t unknown. I just don’t have one.”

“Right. I need you to come with me.”

Popping his arm up to get the hand off, Riki backed away, demanding, “Why?”

Riki glanced at the name badge, but all it had was in quotes was the obvious nickname ‘Django’. Django’s stance was wide enough so Riki could ascertain he was ready to run after him if he were to make a break for it. Not like Riki would run; the man was much taller than him and looked only slightly older, with tanned skin, strawberry blond hair, and bulging biceps, plus the gun on his hip. He wouldn’t get very far.

 The officer patiently explained, “There are charges against you, but the people want to see you first. They also want to make as little noise as possible.” Riki then realized that the man wasn’t wearing a Tanagura University security uniform, but an Amoian one. He was a legit cop.

“What charges? Who? Where? What if I don’t go?”

“Don’t make this difficult.”

“All you gotta do is answer some questions that I’m sure I’m a bit entitled to. I know you already think I’m guilty, but that doesn’t mean I’ll just skip along next to you.”

It wasn’t the smartest thing getting on the bad side of a city cop, but it was smart not to go into a situation completely unprepared. Anyway, if there was a chance that he would get murdered and his body hidden in a trash can, by God he wasn’t going without a fight.

“Charges of blackmail against Iason Mink.” Riki’s nerves went sharp as he noticed that Django did not correct his guilty-until-proven-innocent accusation. “His parents are here and they are waiting for you and me in the school’s security office.”

“Not Iason?” Riki felt bombarded with red flags.

Django shrugged. “If you don’t come with me, I’ll have to formally arrest you. Or whatever.”

Riki knew that ‘whatever’ could mean anything from shooting him or just breaking an arm.

“I’ll go,” Riki finally said. “But I need to take a picture of you and send it to my friend.” For anyone else, this would be a reasonable request. For someone planning something rather dastardly, it would make them snarl and think twice about their next moves, as Django so obviously did.

“No problem.” His rather handsome face- boyish even- said otherwise with its tight grimace that was quickly replaced by a tight, fake smile.

Riki did just as he promised, adding, _Share this with everyone. Don’t trust this fucker as far as you can throw him. If I don’t text you in an hour, call me to make sure I’m alright._

Afterwards, Django began walking, obviously trusting Riki to follow. Riki was no idiot. He felt his phone buzz with Guy’s beat.

_If you don’t answer, we’ll get everyone. Do you know where you’re going?_

_The security office? Just in case._

_Just in case._

Alright.

Fuck. Iason.

_I’mma be a bit late_ , he sent.

A quick response: _Is something wrong?_

Should he tell him? His parents were there! Obviously, he didn’t know though, so that means that his parents weren’t sure to believe whatever they had been told. But they were there, just in case.

_I don’t believe it will be._

_That’s an odd way of putting it, whatever it is._

_Do you trust me? If you don’t hear from me in about… seventy minutes, call Guy._

_Oh. That doesn’t worry me in the least._

Riki smiled.

_I’m not worried. As long as I know you’re there for me._

Iason sent a vomiting emoji, making Riki laugh out loud.

“Aren’t you chipper?” Django went into the building, the Flare, holding the door open and going straight for the elevators. Riki made sure to keep enough space between them, watching for the exit signs. He’s never been in the Flare Building, but from the map it apparently housed security, campus finance, and alumni matters. Didn’t Iason say that his parents went to this school?

They arrived on a floor where both walls were strewn with portraits three times as big as he was and a floor of what he knew for certain was actual marble. After passing room after room after room of richer versions of classrooms, replete with chairs with high backs and tables of mahogany, there was the security offices that took up the other half of the floor. What a weird layout, but if returning alumni were as rich as Riki believed they were, the setup was probably necessary.

The staff was sparse, being Friday. Riki spotted Drake, who narrowed his eyes upon seeing him. Unlike the other officers who saluted as Django walked about, Drake simply watched him head into a back room full of televisions and recordings in pristine condition. None of the fuzziness that showed on news media. One could spot a pimple on these cameras.

Riki had not a single thought on the cameras just yet because he was met with the immediate surprise of Iason Mink’s parents. When he had seen the picture of them the day before, he had assumed they were standing on a box, or Iason was sitting in a chair. Or else, from the looks of the pictures, both his mother and father were even taller than he was, his father by another foot.

Obviously, they had no such tricks for pleasing visuals. They were really that tall, which made Riki realize that Mr. Mink was, at least, two feet taller than him, and built like a lumberjack. No amount Botox could make those muscles, but they weren’t so outrageous as to raise suspicion of steroids. Mrs. Mink was smaller, of course, but her arms were crossed to reveal her own set of bulging biceps. Mr. Mink in a suit, and Mrs. Mink in a modest black and red dress and overcoat, and they looked like they had stepped off the runway for models that can eat him for breakfast and still be hungry.

Django stood between Iason’s parents and him. There were two other city police there, and three campus officers, including The Sherriff, Jayd (no relation to Blondie Marcus Jayd), who oversaw all of campus security. Riki and Jayd knew each other well enough; the number of times Jayd was called on Triple O for this and that and the other was enough for the man to get greyer than needed. His thick eyebrows overshadowed sympathetic eyes. The kind of eyes that felt Riki was innocent, but the older man had to stay neutral for all parties involved.

“You are Riki?” Mrs. Mink asked.

A voice like butter. Slick him up and slide him down the hall.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Ma’am?”  Mr. Mink scoffed, voice much deeper than expected, thunder from up above. “No need to wheedle into our graces, young man. Just hand over all the material you have over Iason and resign from this school, and not waste our time. We have plans for tomorrow, after all.”

What the fuck?

Oh, right, his charges.

“I’m not blackmailing Iason,” Riki declared, thinking instantly that protesting first and foremost may not be the best strategy when accused of a crime. One of the city policemen and another from the campus were both writing down his words. Anything you say could be used against him in the court of law; he should get a lawyer in here; but all that would just ruin his and Iason’s Valentine’s and, for fuck’s sake, Riki refused to let that happen.

“Do you deny that you have the material with which you _could_ blackmail him?” Iason’s mother rose her chin. Did Iason lie to his mother? How could he? Riki wasn’t even about to lie but he still worried about just saying his words wrong.

Fucking hell, sweat gathered on his temple. Still, he nodded, “I do, but I don’t have it so I can blackmail him.”

Django interrupted him, “Do you expect us to believe that? Just take your word for it?”

Riki balled his hands into fists, ready to clock Django in the throat. “Can you prove that I’m blackmailing him with it?”

Mr. Mink stepped forward, and Riki, pride be damned, stepped back a bit. Mrs. Mink held her husband back with a lithe hand, with a rock the size of Riki on her finger. “Darling, you promised.”

Promised? Promised what? Not to bench press him into the ceiling?

She turned to him, dark blue eyes searching.

Once more, Django butted in, “Why do you have the material with which you could blackmail Iason?”

“Leading,” whispered one of the campus police, earning him a death glare from Django.

Yet, Mrs. Mink nodded. “That was a leading question. Let me make it simpler: why do you have those pictures and recordings of Iason?”

Pictures? Recordings? Both? In the plural?

Well, whatever, he had it all. No use trying to slide past it.

Smiling as he always did in tough situations, Riki shrugged, hands in the air. “Well, what other reason other than blackmail would a virile young man like myself have those kinds of things?”

Covering her mouth, Mrs. Mink nonetheless couldn’t hide her _beautiful_ smile, which made Mr. Mink something furious, and so damn _hot._

He growled, “So you just masturbate to our son in compromising positions? Is that what you’re going with in the presence of his parents?”

_Fuck_! That wasn’t that much better at all! Sure, one of them wasn’t illegal, but jail seemed as good as witness protection if it meant not being within arms’ length of Mr. Mink. He liked it rough, but not that rough. Being snapped in half has long been a hard limit of his.

“Yea… Sorry… If it makes you feel any better, we haven’t had sex yet?”

Why would that make anyone feel better? He wasn’t this stupid usually!

Django told him, “Because what gets your rocks off is having power over him, not the actual sex itself.”

Riki saw, from the corner of his eye, a small smile grace Django’s boyish face- he had dimples in his cheeks even- but also those of his colleagues. Riki knew, he just knew, right in his heart, that they knew about his night life. How? Why would they go to those lengths?

Then the pieces clicked together.

Why didn’t he put it together sooner!

“How much Jupiter pay ya?” Riki demanded of Django.

“Don’t you fucking dare!” Mr. Mink was backing him into the wall in moments- damn fast! His neck cricked to look up- he felt like a basketball reporter. “Mr. Django said you would try to pull that card, and if you keep trying I will pull you from your roots!” The man slammed both hands on either side of Riki, bending down to say to his face, “I suggest you stop playing dumb, before I stop giving you any leeway. Even I wouldn’t be able to pay your hospital bills once I’m through with you.”

_So fucking hot._

“Then Eris will have her turn with you. Don’t think that just because she’s a woman, she won’t break you in ten different places.”

_Beautiful._

Praying that an erection won’t pop up, Riki knew Iason’s parents were just being protective, and they have been groomed by Django and his people before he got there. Meaning that they were fired up on their version of what was happening, and were acting just out of fear for their son who’s been through enough.

Riki knew that if he just said the right things, he would be able to prove himself.

Mr. Mink held out his hand. “Your phone. Your camera. Whatever else.”

He did so.

“You should have done this sooner! Unlock it.” Riki did that.

Django offered his hand to take the phone. Mr. Mink walked past him.

When her husband stood next to her (he was sliding through Riki’s private life already, feverishly), Mrs. Mink inquired, “Why did you give it to him?”

“Why else?” voiced one of Django’s cronies. “He knows he’s guilty.”

“Is that correct?”

“No,” Riki answered. “But it wouldn’t make this situation better for anyone if I try to keep it to myself.”

Django reached for said phone. “I know I’m going pretty hard on Riki, but I have to also make sure you don’t falsify evidence. No offense to you, Sir.”

Mr. Mink kept going through Riki’s phone, face having changed to Big Bad Wolf to something a lot more impassive. He seemed to be scrolling through something. He stopped, tapping, and then swiping across the screen.

“Mr. Mink?”

The taller man reached over to show Mrs. Mink something on his phone, and Riki prayed it wasn’t the bike pictures. Maybe they had only gone through the pictures he took of Iason sleeping last night. They wouldn’t go through all his pictures right then and there, would they? That won’t look good. If he somehow proved himself innocent, he also wanted to escape Daddy with all his limbs attached to their roots.

“Look at the date,” Mr. Mink spoke in a dry tone.

Neither parent looked angry or disgusted and Riki had no idea what they were they were looking at.

“And this.” More tapping on his phone, and now Mrs. Mink was scrolling.

His messages! Of course!

Mr. Mink leaned against the wall. Slowly, but surely, his face began to redden, until he asked Django quietly, “How much is Jupiter paying you?”

Yes! Whatever Mr. Mink saw confirmed his innocence!

What was it? God, what was it?!

Django shook his head, “A friend of Iason’s is who tipped off the police, and then I was contacted. Isn’t that right, Captain Jayd?”

Captain Jayd winked at Riki, making his heart stop squeezing so hard in nervousness. “I found it odd that your informant contacted police first, and not me.”

At this sudden betrayal Django didn’t bat an eyelash. “Whatever the case may be, we have found the recordings on the campus cameras, the recordings from Riki’s phone, and his numerous pictures.”

“Show them,” Mrs. Mink demanded.

“Excuse me?”

“Show them all. Right to Riki. Right now.”

“I suppose I could do that. His phone, please?” Once more extending his hand, Django was once more shafted as Mrs. Mink eyed him with enough disdain to last him the rest of his life. Swallowing visibly, he nodded to one of the campus police, and they set up one of the screens to go through their ‘evidence’.

It had much more than Riki thought.

So many times he took pictures, nearly all he’s ever taken, including the ones from last night! Then even further back, at Rupa’s, when he finally gave in and took pictures of Iason’s spent form as he awoke, pictures of him dressing in his room to get to Salvado’s class on Monday, the bike pictures before then. They then showed recordings from campus, in the cafeteria when he was kissing his back, multiple angles with Iason on the bike and him photographing.

But there were some pictures that were notably missing. The pictures from Iason in the cafeteria’s bathroom, that video there, the video Riki made at Rupa’s asking if Iason was alright, any pictures of Iason smiling at him, the picture where he took of Iason raising his hair up on the bike- basically anything that could hint that what they were doing was consensual, mutual.

“Riki!” he heard Iason gasping. It was the masturbating video Iason made in the cafeteria. “Riki! Riki!”

Riki eyed the door. Could he outrun Mr. Mink?

Fuck no, he couldn’t.

Still, Mr. Mink’s green eyes looked down at Django. He looked once at each of other city policemen, only to have them look the other way. At this display of diffidence, he sniffed derisively. “You would have been in a better position if you hadn’t left out everything that proved you wrong.”

Django shrugged. “I have merely shared what evidence was given to me.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“From whom? Your informant? Tell me his name.”

“He wished for his identity to be kept confidential.”

“I’m sure. You’ve truly covered all your bases. Although. You should have taken Riki’s phone first.” The man cocked his handsome head to the side. “I bet you expected him to call Iason or text him, giving you an excuse to confiscate his phone. You would have said that he would be about to force Iason into doing something that would make this into a hostage situation.”

Django revealed nothing- but the scriptwriter campus policeman admitted, “He told us Riki might do that. What’s on his phone?”

“Just proof that Iason wasn’t forced to do anything.”

Mrs. Mink added, “And that Riki’s apparently showing him a whole new world.” Her eyebrows rose. “And that he looks delectable in leather. Oh, Apollo, look at this.”

‘Apollo’ looked down through narrowed eyes. His eyes widened, and he snatched the phone up. He then shared the picture with one of the campus policemen, then the other, then Captain Jayd, pointedly keeping the city police out of the loop.

Captain Jayd looked straight at Riki’s groin and Riki could only guess what picture they were looking at. One of his earlier pictures… He needed to upload his pictures on a hard drive or something!

“Where does he keep it?” Mrs. Mink asked with a smile, also eyeing him below the belt.

Mr. Mink growled, “Hopefully away from Iason.”

“Too late for that,” Riki muttered.

What was he thinking?!

“You’re a brave one, young man.” Why did that sound like a threat?

“I appreciate your kind words, Mr. Mink.”

Mrs. Mink returned his phone, and the picture of a woman kissing his dick was presented to him. His mortification was immeasurable. The mother reached down to clutch his chin. She whispered into his ear (not really, but that’s what it felt like), “I do so love a man so confident in himself that he doesn’t lose his cool even for a moment.”

“Is that what I look like? I gotta be honest, when your hubby pinned me to the wall, I lost my cool. Don’tchu think?”

“You seemed rather pleased in my eyes, as if you found his actions just slightly erotic.”

Don’t say erotic with those red lips, Riki begged silently.

“Just slightly,” Riki answered. “Unfortunately, even that can’t be compared to Iason.”

When she smiled, her eyes creased up to little crescent moons. “I do suppose it’s obvious you prefer to be the one doing the pinning.”

“I’ll be happy to make an exception here and there.”

Mrs. Mink looked over her shoulder, saying in her smooth, light voice like whipped cream, “You hear that? Riki is interested in putting you both under his heel.”

“Wait, that ain’t what I-”

Mr. Mink strode over him. “I’d like to see him try, with either of us!”

From the way Mrs. Mink bit into her finger, she probably liked whipping her husband up to see him all ready to tear apart little boys like him.

Clearing his throat, Captain Jayd, turning off the monitors, spoke, “Just to make sure. No charges, right?”

Both Minks answered, “Correct.”

“What should we do, Django?” one of the city policemen asked Django.

“What do you mean? There is no longer a case.”

“But what about-”

The man turned and ordered in a tight voice, “We’re done here. Let’s go.”

Ms. Mink stopped them with a hand on Django’s shoulder. As he stopped, she went through her purse and took out a checkbook, and a pen. She wrote whatever she needed to write and handed it to Django.

“Here’s some pocket change. I know Jupiter will be quite cross with you and might refrain from paying you completely.”

So that’s where Iason got his pettiness from.

“One hundred thousand!” one of the men shouted as he looked down at the check.

“Just a little something. You can share it between the two of you.” She wiggled her fingers at Django and the scriptwriter. To the third who had yelled, she said, “But you. You can have your own personal bag of change if you can just tell me who shared these damaging pictures of Iason.”

The man caved like a sinkhole: “Some guy named Sean? Didn’t get his last name. Said he was the leader of Alpha Alpha Alpha fraternity?”

“Oh, my, thank you so much. That’s so helpful.”

“How?”

“Never you mind. Is that your real name on the badge?”

“Nah.”

“Well, can you whisper it to me? Not too close, I’m _so_ sensitive around my neck.” She gave Riki one slow wink.

He grinned like a fool.

Then heard Mr. Mink growling above him.

This woman was trying to get him killed!

There was suddenly a ringing of a phone- not his. He had plenty of time.

Mr. Mink answered his phone immediately, voice as sweet as maple syrup, “My dear boy, how are you? Are you alright?” He clicked a button to put the caller on speaker.

Iason could be read on the phone.

“Daddy? I’m sorry to bother you on such an important day.”

“You never bother me, son. In fact, I was just closing out my work. Is there something you need? Have you changed your mind about us coming down for Valentine’s?”

There was a long-suffering sigh. “Daddy. I have not!”

“So you found a date?” Again, sounded like a threat to Riki.

“Yes. I have. He’s delightful.” Laughing so happily and freely, even Riki was a bit taken with Iason’s apparent happiness speaking with his father about him. “Although, you might not like that I might have to call you ‘Father’ from now on.”

Mr. Mink’s radiant smile cracked. “Why?” he asked through his teeth.

“Just that… Maybe I will be calling someone else Daddy from now on. Oh! But that wasn’t what I wanted to call you about. I wanted to call you before… Before I lose heart. Is Mother there with you?”

“Hello, Iason.” Mrs. Mink voice was much more subdued. She was rubbing the knuckles of one hand atop the other, her hands free to fidget as the last city cop kissed his check.

She sounded guilty.

“Mother! I am glad you are there.” Her lovely face softened at this. “I want to… get a therapist.” Her shock was palpable, and a hand went to her chest as if to see if her heart was still beating.

Iason went on, “I had a… small heart-to-heart with the man I met and… I want to try, at least. I know after so long of refusing I shouldn’t-”

“Shush, darling. Of course, Father and I will find someone. If you change your mind, that’s fine, but, I will tell you I believe this will be good for you. I’ll let you know sometime next week what my recommendations are. If you already have anyone in mind, please tell me.”

“Yes. I will. Thank you… For everything. I love you.”

Her eyes were shining as she answered, “I love you, too.”

“Until next week.”

Mr. Mink said quickly, “I love you, too, Iason. More than life itself.”

“I love you, too… _Father!_ ” With that, Iason hurriedly hung up.

Mr. Mink snarled at Riki, “Young man, if he’s still calling me Father by next week, I will be having you meet Our Heavenly Father very shortly!”

“Understood, Sir!” Riki nodded like a soldier, very nearly saluting.

“I’ll pop your head like a grape!” Mrs. Mink was pulling her husband by the tie, and the man took this as if it was a regular occurrence in the Mink household, walking backwards and into the hallway. “I’ll break you into halves, then fourths, then eighths!” Mrs. Mink waved at the rest of the men, heels clicking on the marble (Riki noticed Django and his men had slipped out during the phone call). “Wait, Eris, I have something to ask the young man.”

“Is it reasonable?”

“Yes, Darling.” She let him go. Riki trusted her to know when her husband was telling the truth- and also to sic him on Riki. Flip of the coin.

“Have a good weekend, Mr. and Mrs. Mink. And Happy Valentine’s Day.” Captain Jayd was smiling widely as he and his people went back into the offices. “Good luck, Riki!”

When the door was closed, Mr. Mink asked, “Do you have any idea how they got that data off your phone?”

Riki hadn’t even _considered_ that.

“I guess… I guess they hacked it?” How? Why? Why did they only take his gallery?

“I doubt it,” Mrs. Mink told him. “Jupiter is usually very thorough. She would have gotten your phone from you to keep you from warning Iason, would have contingency plans in place, forced us, or you, to make a hard decision with little time to make it. The reason she didn’t have all that is because she was convinced to try harder, sooner. Why, though?”

Mr. Mink cracked his knuckles. “She saw Iason falling into the arms of this little dark boy representing all that she hates. It probably ate away at her. Unfortunately not literally.”

Little dark boy! A pot calling a kettle a cooking utensil! Actually, maybe he didn’t mean it as an insult… Of course he didn’t. It was weird to be described that way and it _not_ be an insult!

Mrs. Mink was nodded, unperturbed with her husband’s description. “Yes… The first thing they showed was that video in the club. That was the only one not from Riki’s perspective. That must have been Sean.” She paused, shaking her head. “But, yes, she would not have had time to hack your phone without also taking it. So why hack it at all. Do you know of anyone who could get into your phone?”

“Just a bunch of my friends.”

Her eyebrows rose.

“They are all very close friends. I’ve known them all my life.”

“How much will they be willing to lose out on in favor of that closeness?” Mr. Mink demanded. “Do you think they all will say no to a hundred grand? Especially if they think they could get away with it?”

Riki couldn’t think of anyone. Didn’t want to.

“I suggest you reassess your closeness.”

Mrs. Mink added softly, “And if any of the Thirteen has had access to your phone, you would not be remiss to suspect any of them.”

Riki protested, “I don’t know ‘em all that well, but I know they all don’t need money like that.”

“Some of them are still convinced they need Jupiter.”

Riki hoped none of them were that desperate for her attention. Hoped with all of his heart.

“Alright, Apollo. I believe we have kept Riki long enough. We don’t need to worry Guy and Iason needlessly, now do we? It was nice to meet you, Riki.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Mink.”

“Please. Call me Eris.”

Not on your life. “I’ll think about it, Mrs. Mink. Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Mink.”

“Hm. Likewise.” As the older man merely kept staring him down, he had to be pulled by his tie away. Riki could hear him complaining, “He’s more attractive than I thought he would be.”

“He is.”

“He’s too polite.”

“I’m sure you think that.”

“And what’s with that anaconda? A man his size should have a reasonable girth!”

Riki saw a nearby staircase.

If he had a head start…. Open the door… Check for landings…

~~~

“Aw, Mr. Mink!” He called out. “You’re just mad that my dick is bigger than yours!” Like he wanted, he heard Eris laugh, and the thunderous footsteps of a seven-foot man. Down the stairs he went. He didn’t stop running until he got to his motorcycle, and even then he was speeding through the streets to get to Hot Crack. It was actually a nameless building with no front door for anyone not in the know, but for those in the know, it was one of the most lucrative alternative clubs in Amoi. As one of its youngest members, the only reason Riki even knew of its existence was because his reputation (the best parts of it, at least) preceded him for years. With Alec’s revered word, he got a membership. A bit on the pricey side, but he knew it went to security, toys, classes and things of that nature.

He took out his HC membership card as he wound around back. Breathing in and out, ready to apologize profusely, the door was opened before he could knock. Even though only the first floor, it boasted a high ceiling over a lobby and restaurant which had real waiters, a hostess in a suit, and an executive chef with one Michelin star. All that was hidden behind glass double doors. Other doors lead to offices and just a few play rooms.

He passed through the metal detector, putting his belt, jacket, phone and keys in the little box for the security guard to check in and keep until he left.

Or one of the owners of Hot Crack.

“You’re good to go in, Sir Riki. Your Sub is in the room.” In a smaller voice, she told him, “He’s been pacing for at least half an hour. Should I have let him keep his phone? ”

“It’s fine. Thanks, Lady Raven.”

“No problem.”

Riki rushed to the left to where he had booked a room. He was rather lucky that it was open on a Friday at the last minute. The day before Valentine’s, everybody and their daddy was checking to see if they were ready for the party the next day. 

Riki just had one more tingling problem hanging in the back of his mind.

He stopped.

He walked back to Lady Raven.

“Lady Raven.”

Without looking up from her monitors, she asked, “Going to test whether or not he’ll say his safe words?” She didn’t let him answer. “Or see if he leaves? I told him about the buttons, and to leave if they don’t work for some reason. He said he wouldn’t need it. The kind of pup that needs to be broken in, I say.”

Riki sat at a chair close to her desk. “I’m glad you like him already.”

“He’s adorable. The two of you look delicious together. I’ll tell you if he starts losing it.” Her matter of fact assurances put some confidence into his actions.

“I would ‘preciate it.”

So, Riki waited. Shortly, Guy called him.

“Riki? Is that you?”

“It’s me. Thanks for calling.”

Guy let out a sigh of relief. “Shit. Between Iason yesterday, and you, period, I don’t know how I’mma survive this damn year.”

Laughing quietly, Riki apologized, “Didn’t mean to worry you so much.”

“Don’t want to talk about it, huh.”

“Not right now. No.”

“Fine.”

“Hey, Iason will be calling you. Tell him that I’m fine, but if he’s worried, to go home.”

Guy chided, “This sounds like you’re testing him. You think that’s a good idea right now? Especially after yesterday?”

“He wanted to do something.”

Going silent, Riki knew that Guy believed him, but that wouldn’t stop him from worrying.

“Alright.”

“Thanks, Guy.” That didn’t mean he was off the hook, just a slight reprieve before the real lecture came later. He might have to endure another one if Iason left, or stayed, or had a panic attack. Maybe this wasn’t a great idea.

“He’s pacing again,” Lady Raven said, arms crossed underneath where her breasts were heavily supported by her corset. One day Riki wanted to- What was he thinking? Iason was waiting for him! Bad enough he was practically salivating over his parents. Thinking about parents, Apollo Mink probably had a hit on him. Hopefully Riki will never see it coming and he would just gently slip off the mortal coil.

“He pressed the button. Do you want me to send someone?”

Riki stood up to see the monitor; Lady Raven had already put the room on her main monitor for him. Without saying anything, he nodded, and she pressed the button to send staff. A huge man usually there to intimidate anyone that was acting up. He would have received the signal that Iason was in the middle of ‘The Silent Treatment’, though, and he arrived with a bow. Iason was talking to him, and when done, the guard pressed his back to the door, gesturing for Iason to leave, to which Iason shook his head. The guard was now asking something, to which the blonde nodded. Leaving, the guard returned very quickly with a bottle of water. Bowing and closing the door, Iason was once more left alone.

He began to pace again.

Then he was on his phone.

Riki let it go to voicemail.

“Confidence that is partly bravado. I wonder where his reluctance to show weakness comes from. Do you know?”

Lady Raven, one of the ones who put the idea of being a psychologist in his head, just seemed to know things by reading body language. She was a psychiatrist, and even participated in research, but before that her main job was in detective work, especially in interviewing suspects. She said she got awfully disillusioned by the work and changed the course of her career. The side gig at Hot Crack, she said, felt more a reprieve than extra work. It was ‘fun’.

“I have an idea.”

“Testing the limits of that idea then. Be careful.”

“If you weren’t here, I prolly wouldn’t have done this.”

“I should start charging you. He’s on the floor.”

Riki watched as Iason ignored the couch and king-sized bed to sit on the floor and hold his knees, his heart falling with sadness, and not a little bit of disappointment that Iason wouldn’t leave. It’s alright, they could have a nice Valentine’s dinner in the restaurant instead of going to the party. He exited from behind the desk, ready to cheer Iason, make it up to him. Have a long talk about safety, goddamnit.

Lady Raven said in a loud whisper, “Wait, I think he’s leaving.”

“Thank god, is he really?”

Jacket around his arms, Iason practically hid his face into it as he opened the door, not bothering to close it or even look around to apologize for the loud _BANG_ it made. The longest strides brought him into the lobby with his eyes to the floor. He quickly looked up to the security desk, and Riki had to stifle a laugh as Iason missed him completely and came straight to Lady Raven for his phone.

She played along: “Ready to leave?” The woman even handed over the container with his phone, a watch, and a pocketknife- how long has he had that?

Iason’s gaze stayed on his fingers as he nodded.

“I suppose you’ve been waiting a long time. Do you want me to leave a message for Riki?”

Face reddening, Iason whispered, “Tell him I’m sorry.”

Lady Raven turned around to Riki, saying, “Your Sub says he’s sorry.”

Iason looked up.

He grabbed the plastic container, letting his items fall out to be strewn across Lady Raven’s desk, and chucked it at Riki’s head.

Riki grabbed it from the air, thanking his stars that Iason hadn’t thrown the knife.

“Have you been here this whole time?!” Iason’s voice caused even those behind the doors in the restaurant to look in their direction.

Placing a cautionary hand onto Lady Raven’s soft shoulders, Riki answered with a smile, “Yep.” He could feel her muscles tighten at his lie.

Still screeching, Iason accused him, “You were testing me! For what? What were you trying to prove? Why…” He hid his face behind a hand, trying to keep it together. “Why did you leave me alone for so long? Didn’t you… Didn’t you want me?”

Riki felt the strong painful smack of Lady Raven’s non-dominant hand on his rear, to get his ass in gear, now, before she used her left hand and break his back.

Closing the space between them, Riki hid Iason’s face with his own hands, giving a small kiss to those wavering lips, curved like his mother’s, full like his father’s. His blue eyes had the brightness of his father’s, despite their different color, jaw and cheeks from his mother, just a bit on the wider side. It was adorable how the both of them came together. Enviable.

“Of course I wanted you. But I had to make sure.”

“Make sure what? That I’ll run away like a little bitch with my tail between my legs as soon as I get a little nervous?”

Riki whispered, “Exactly. You waited so long for me, and I thank you for that. Makes me feel special.” Iason’s pout told him exactly how much that meant to him (hint: very little). “I needed to know that you had a limit, and when you reached it, you’ll take matters into your own hands. Whether you would call for help, ask for information, say something, leave. It’s… It’s fucking terrifying that you won’t do any of that when you felt the need to. That I can’t trust you to do that.”

Blinking slowly, finally letting a single tear fall, Iason mumbled something nonsensical. Before Iason could wipe the tear away, Riki used his thumb to do so instead. He more clearly said to him, “You… don’t feel as if I betrayed you?”

“Not even a little bit.”

“I didn’t disappoint you?”

“Honestly disappointed you didn’t leave sooner.”

Iason’s face clearly read DOES NOT COMPUTE. “I still feel guilty.”

“That’s valid, expected. But let’s try to get rid of it.”

“You mean go back? After I made such a scene…”

“I bet no one even noticed.” He felt another smack on his ass. “C’mon.”

Iason first turned to apologize and return the plastic container, receiving a reassuring pat on his hands- “No harm done” –and then he was holding onto Riki’s hand for dear life. He didn’t let go even when they entered the room again and Riki closed the door, or even when Riki pulled away. He said nothing, didn’t even look Riki in the eye. Knowing that Iason needed just a little more time, he led the two of them onto the bed to sit together. They sat there for about ten minutes, when Riki lifted his hand, giving light kisses to his knuckles.

Iason finally faced him. “Did you have a plan to prove my invincibility? Or was that playful banter?”

Licking his teeth, Riki got closer to wrap his arm around Iason’s hips, admitting close to the shell of his ear, “I was going to line up some dildos until we get to one that is _just_ under in size of my own dick, to which I will formally introduce you to tomorrow.”

Rolling his eyes at his pretentious language, Iason nonetheless smiled. Then frowned. “I…What? I didn’t think that you would.” Riki actually expected Iason to have guessed that such plans were on the horizon. Had he given it no thought? Did he not make his own lists of desires and expectations? “Do you think I can take it?”

“That wasn’t just playful banter.” Two seconds of rumination and Iason stood to take off his clothes. Ready to go. Riki got naked with him, gathering up the materials needed, what he asked for when he booked the room online, ordering also four toys and oil slick enough to make a bum slide on sandpaper unharmed.  Iason waited for him to get undressed, picking up the narrowest purple toy. Then the pink one the size of the average penis, a blue one just a bit wider and longer, and the final black toy that was usually what ended a rather kinky session otherwise.

“Riki. Since you’ve never actually fully put your substantial piece into anyone, how do you know that you like to top?”

Not the first time someone asked Riki that, and he answered easily, “Prolly mostly optics. Pushing someone’s head down into a pillow as I move from behind, having someone bounce on my lap, someone crying out ‘so big, I don’t think it’ll fit’ but still forcing it all in. That sort of thing.”  

“My, this Someone sounds like quite the limber creature.”

“They get their Pilates in.”

Chuckling, Iason went through a ‘toy box’ on one of the many bookshelves. Burdened with books, videos, and knickknacks of the prevailing themes of the club, the bookshelf also had these toy boxes, from which Iason pulled out four clinking leather cuffs kept together with a small belt. They were paired together with a chain four links apart.

“Why are there four of them stuck together like this?” Iason twisted it around. “They already have chains.”

Riki went over, explaining, “They are built to keep your wrists to your ankles. See how each have a smaller belt connecting to a bigger one?” Instead of putting it down once given the sufficient information, Iason unhooked the small belt keeping them all together. Without a word, he latched the correct cuffs to his wrists. Still silent, he laid himself on the bed and snapped the remaining cuffs to his ankles.

“Alright,” was all Riki could say, as his cock reacted with much more enthusiasm. He smiled as Iason lied back and seemed surprised that pulling on the wrist cuffs caused his legs to be pulled back and apart.

“Oh,” was all he said. His blushing said much more, plus the fact that he was sitting up uncomfortably now.

“Some rules.” Iason perked up. “Yellow for me to pause. Orange for me to stop whatever I’m doing completely. Red for I totally fucked up and you want to go home. Repeat it back to me.”

Talking between his knees, Iason repeated, “Yellow for you to pause, orange for you to stop whatever you’re doing completely, red for, somehow, you totally fucked up and I want to go home.”

“Good. Good, good.” Riki poked a finger in the center of Iason’s chest, the digit only partially insistent on pushing. It let Iason lie back the rest of the way on his own accord. As his blue eyes eyed one of the bookcases, Riki said aloud, “The oil will tingle a lot. It’s supposed to do that.” He grabbed the special oil, popping the cap and letting the contents drip onto Iason’s chest, down over his stomach, a drizzle up and down each leg. Dropping the bottle, he used both hands to spread the rich lines across Iason’s limbs and stomach.

Of course, he could also feel the ‘tingle’ that gave way to a thrilling burn, across his palms. A breathy sigh proved Iason felt it all as well. With his muscles quivering underneath, Riki appreciated their length, their thickness, especially around his thighs. They were juicy lovely things that Riki used both hands to explore.

His fingers formed a ring, going up and down, kneading their way into his layer of fat and the deeper stretches of muscles.

“You feel so damn good.” Riki whispered, “What about my hands? Do they feel good?”

Iason nodded quickly.

“Look at me and say it.”

Eyes fluttering, Iason looked at him and said quietly, “Your hands feel good.”

“Hmmm,” Riki hummed. “Who are you talking to?”

“I’m certain your name is Riki.”

_SMACK_ , right on Iason’s thigh.

Startled, Iason corrected quickly, “Your hands feel good, Sir.”

“A little more. Sir and Madam is what you call other doms. At least, that’s how they do it in Amoi.”

Eying his hands as they switched bountiful thighs, Iason guessed warily, “Lord?”

“You have to earn that rank from other Lords and Ladies. Alex isn’t even a Lord yet. C’mon. You’re thinking too hard.”

“The only other thing I can think of is ‘master’…?”

“Ding-ding-ding!” A blossoming of red across his cheeks, and Iason rolled his eyes. “Alright, pet-”

“Pet!”

Riki kissed a knee before pulling it from behind to flip Iason over. Of course, he checked to make sure Iason wasn’t suffocating in a pillow- he was trying to get up, but that was rather impossible with his wrists and ankles fastened like so. Riki didn’t plan on keeping him in this position; he was more-or-less trying to ascertain Iason’s limberness.

He said nothing to make sure he was okay- do his wrists hurt, his back felt too stretched, are you scared- and hoped more than anything that the moment things weren’t okay, Iason would say something. Not like he didn’t have an eye out, just making sure Iason didn’t _think_ he was.

More oil landed on his long back, small lines on the back of his legs. His hands pushed Iason’s hair to the side, running his fingers through the strands- “Mmm!”

“You like that, do ya? It seems this pet likes being petted, don’t he?”

“My scalp is sensitive,” Iason reasoned from the pillow.

Grinning from where Iason couldn’t see, Riki teased, “A bit tender-headed, is all? Naw, I don’t think so. Your asshole is twitching up all tight. You like it.”

“Don’t talk about- It’s nothing like that. It’s…” Iason shivered as Riki dove both slick hands into his hair. “It’s nothing,” he said again.

“Don’t lie to me. How we supposed to get anywhere if you lie like that?”

Iason was slow to answer that, waiting until his fingers dragged their tips across his back, over his outstretched arms, to say finally, “I liked it.”

“Hm? I didn’t quite hear ya.”

“I liked it, Master! You… jerk…”

He shouldn’t gloat. Alas: “See? Was that so hard?” No answer was forthcoming, so Riki let his hands trail across Iason’s buttocks, feeling the urge to test him, using both hands to _SMACK_ them both. Without reprieve, he hit them both again, putting some muscle behind it, then again, as hard as he could.

Finally, at the seventh strike, Iason choked out a distressed whimper. Riki paused, merely adding more oil to his hands. It was clear Iason expected it all to be over as he shouted, “Riki!” with the eighth hit. The smaller man, angled so behind Iason, still knew that Iason was far past his limit. A ninth, Riki refused to hold back. This wasn’t just to push him to the brink; Riki loved the feeling of his hands own momentary flash of pain, the erratic twitching of the hole he meant to stretch out, the intense flexing of nearly every muscle in that bound body. And the fact that Iason put the cuffs on himself! Lady Raven would go gaga at the thought.

SMACK.

Thirteen.

“Yellow.” The word came out as if wrenched from underneath tons of rubble.

“Got it.” Riki followed the rules and hoped Iason remembered them in their entirety. He hunched over Iason’s back to catch a look at his face, but all he saw was blond hair as Iason balanced on his forehead, breathing harshly into the pillow. Settling back on his haunches, Riki pressed a single thumb onto that sweet hole. Iason gasped in the most delectably breathless manner.

“Still yellow?” Riki asked, knowing full well that Iason had needed to say ‘red’ instead. Not orange. Red.

An incredibly unsure, but brave, “No,” answered him.

Giving him just a moment’s warning, Riki placed both hands on either buttock, hearing a quiet, “Wait…” He did not, wringing both wrists before smacking Iason hard enough a thumb protested at its second knuckle. Iason’s clenched fists went backwards, stopped by his ankles. “Fuck!” Body steeling himself, Iason seemed determined to ride it through, while Riki saw that whatever they did tomorrow, it would not have Iason sitting.

Iason’s stiff body stayed that way for a few more hits. Riki didn’t even slow down lest he gives Iason the wrong impression.

A full twenty.

“Goddamnit.” His body seemed to relax, or fall apart.

_Goddamn,_ Riki praised in his own mind, not wanting to vocalize his admiration. If Iason took it to heart, he was going to break his hands.

Twenty-one. Twenty-two.

Riki’s palms were dying. He couldn’t imagine what Iason was feeling. This wasn’t even the point of today’s fun! Unwittingly, he stopped to get his burning forearms under control. He expected a snippy comment about him reaching his limit.

Twenty-three.

“Orange.”

_Orange!_

“Got it.” In Riki’s mind, he thought, man. Iason could take a hit. And still want more?

Choking sobs followed soon after. This wasn’t a singular moment of vulnerability, as Iason continued harder, stronger by the second. Riki quietly unbuckled the wrist cuffs, the ankle cuffs, curved his arms so that his hands were by his head (and quickly hiding his face), unbent his legs by the knees, and, starting from his feet, rubbed upwards, skipping very red buttocks, tried not to admire his handprints too much, and across his back. He reached his hair, rubbing across his scalp. The crying lessened by a surprising degree.

“Talk to me,” Riki whispered. He bent over, kissing the back of Iason’s neck, also flushed from being bent so viciously for such a time.

“What…Wh-what do you want me to say?” Iason stuttered, eyebrows creased as if searching his mind for an impossible answer.

“Nothin’ in partic’lar.”

“I don’t… I don’t know what to say.”

It was as if Iason had flipped a switch, all on his own, in his mind. There was a _correct_ way to do everything. There was no room for mistakes. “Is it orange?” Riki demanded. “Or red?”

Silence.

Still: “Orange. I…I should have said orange before. Not yellow.” Iason clenched his eyes shut. “I knew what you were doing. I _knew_ , but there was…I’m rambling.”

“You’re talking,” Riki insisted, still hovered over his back.

“I’m not. I’m… I’m complaining… I should have…”

At the aggravating pause, Riki whispered, “Should have what?”

“I should have… not said anything. Not orange. Not- Aaah!”

Riki laid his smaller body flush against Iason’s back, mercilessly rubbing his skin across the horribly abused ass. Just the skin felt flushed with fever. He wanted to make a statement with his body, and it wasn’t at all because his arms gave out. He stayed there, wordlessly, waiting for Iason to speak, and hoping he would think before doing so.

What Iason first said, though, was, “Your cock feels bigger on my ass than it did in my hands.”  Riki kissed his neck, waiting. The topic returned, much less humorless: “I knew what you were doing. But another part of me… was arguing… With it.”

“Yea?” He didn’t want to lead Iason’s answers in the least.

“It kept saying…” Quieter, and Riki rested his head against Iason’s back, atop his hand to give his ear room to listen. “Kept saying, ‘one more’, and it wasn’t very nice about it.”

“Mmm, I bet it wasn’t.”

“It called me weak. So weak. From the first time I entertained the thought of you stopping, until I was saying orange. Screaming at me as I cried. I cried over a spanking!”

“I cried too.”

Iason stopped, inquiring, “Who spanked you?”

“Alec. Part of training.”

“Training? So… You didn’t… Enjoy it?”

“Not as much as I do dishing it.”

As Riki expected, Iason asked as well, “How many did you take?”

“Nine,” Riki answered at once.

At once: “You’re lying.”

“The second time, I got to ten. Last time he did it, he said to not give in unless I felt as if his hands were tearing my skin. I made it to thirteen.”

He wondered if Iason still believed he was bullshitting (he wasn’t). “I lost… myself in the middle a bit.”

Riki’s stomach twisted. “How was that?”

“It was then my reasonable side started beating up the meaner one. I imagined it was you.”

“And who was the meaner one?”

Iason went stock still.

“Can you tell me?”

Riki could hear him breathing, shallow, quick.

“Jupiter.” Pulling out splinters was probably easier.

“Thanks for telling me. Talking to me.”

Iason only nodded, and Riki gingerly lifted himself from his body, feeling rather light-headed himself. Was he nervous? Yes, that was it. He felt the nervousness of a master unsure if his sub will let him beat him to death if it meant supposedly not upsetting him. The pressure to perform perfectly… Riki didn’t think he was adequate to find the limits of such perfection.

Frowning, squirting more lube onto his hands, he gingerly spread Iason open and slipped in a finger. It slid in easily. “You know-” Two fingers went in more easily, as if Iason’s body was nothing but slightly firmer jello. “-I don’t want you to be invincible. Because I’m not. I don’t want you to be even the slightest bit perfect, in anything, because I ain’t that either. Don’t worry about what you could do. Anyone could do almost anything.” Three fingers very lightly dipped in and out of the soft, wet hole. “Whether it’s safe to do. Fun to do. Feels good to do so. That’s more important. Lots more important. Does this feel good?” He dipped deep enough to reach Iason prostate.

“Yes! That was…”

“Hm?”

“I couldn’t touch it but once. So intense. Is that normal?”

“Sure is.” If Iason was like this with three fingers, he wasted a lot of sex on being a top. Riki set a deep, slow rhythm, forcing his fingers downward as far as they could go. Each time he brought his fingers out, he slathered on some more oil, trying to get it as deep as possible inside. Tomorrow, he intended to put his dick in the hot wetness. “Talk to me,” he whispered.

“What…” Iason stopped, rethinking. “When you press that deep, your fingers press on my skin.”

“You like that?”

“Yes… Master…”

Riki felt they had reached a brand new understanding. He couldn’t wait to brag to other masters! Not like he hasn’t had reason to brag before then. Iason was gorgeous, brave and down to be freaky. He was also funny, a petty Betty, loyal to a fault and could fucking take a hit.

“Could you,” Iason interrupted his thoughts, “spread out your fingers?”

“Like this?” He slowly, carefully, spread the three fingers inside.

“Aaahnn!” Iason had to be gritting his teeth. “That feels amazing, but I meant, your thumb, and pinky.”

Rik followed those instructions, and as Iason shivered in pleasure, he realized what the man wanted, something to touch his ass and smooth across its skin. Maybe Iason was a pain slut? Outstretched thumb and pinky slowly rubbed across his skin; Riki hadn’t want air on his ass after Alec was done with him. There was no way he could take anyone rubbing on him.

Definitely a pain slut.

Riki would explore that avenue at a later time, but he did do what little Iason had asked.

“Alright. Now it’s time for Purple here.”

“Purple?” Iason looked over his shoulder, groaning with exasperation as he noticed what Riki was talking about.

Riki used the very pads of his fingers to keep Iason spread. The toy was already slicked up, and slipped all the way to the base without so much as a by-your-leave.

Iason whispered, “I didn’t think I would even feel it.”

“Goes deeper than my fingers, don’t it?”

“Yes… It does…”

“This thing is four inches by the way.”

“ _Christ_.”

“Alright. Pinkie. You’re a little bigger than this.”

“A little?” Iason complained. Riki could almost hear the pout. Riki slowly pushed the head of the toy in, finding much more resistance than anything he had done, even when he was using three fingers. It was the deepness, he learned, that the body found offensive, while width would find its greatest enemy in the sphincters. “I can’t possibly be any bigger than this.”

Laughing quietly, Riki asked, “Oh? Feeling it?”

“Could you-” Broken off like a damn Kit-Kat.

“Yea?”

“Nothing.”

No! So much progress was not going to waste.

Riki pulled out.

“Just. Could. You. Please.” Was he having a stroke? “Go slower. If you want.”

“I’ll do it, because it’s what _you_ want,” Riki said firmly, using short jerking motions to reenter Iason’s body with the toy. “Is this good?”

“S-Slower.”

He did just that. “You know your ass has super delicate tissue. If it doesn’t feel good, something’s wrong. If it hurts, something’s really wrong.”

“It’s supposed to hurt a little, though, right?”

Although Iason couldn’t see, Riki shook his head. “Slight discomfort, like, the feeling of being stretched, that’s okay. Pain usually means something is about to tear. _Hard_ , _hard_ limit with that for me.” Feeling a sudden need to make Iason realize what he was saying, he corrected, “It’s not even a matter of limits. It’s not sane to get your ass torn up.”

“Are there other places where it’s sane to get torn up?” Iason joked.

“Sure. Your back. Your arms. Places where it can heal without anybody worryin’. Not here.” He pushed in until the dildo was stopped by its own artificial testicles, gently pulling back at an even pace. “How’s that?”

“Feels good. Very…good. I feel as if I missed out. I think I can take Blue.”

“Alright. Ol’ Blue is up next. Just keep letting me know.”

Riki felt he didn’t need to specify what he needed to know. He pushed with all the care of a surgeon, feeling out for Iason’s sudden tightening, stopping when he felt it. His other hand pushed up Iason’s hip a bit to pull out his cock, still hard and eager. Keeping the toy still, he stroked with the entirety of his palm up and down.

“You’re already on Blue. You really did your homework didn’t you?”

“It feels not even close to what you’re doing. It’s hard to believe… Nnn… I even did it right.” 

“There would be no way you’d be able to take it so soon if you hadn’t practiced.” Riki began moving the toy again. “Which do you feel more, my hand on your dick, or the toy up your ass?”

Iason waved a hand uselessly by his head. “Definitely the toy. It feels as if you’re enhancing the feeling of it inside me. Are you moving it with my heartbeat?”

“That’s all you, baby.” Giving Iason’s erection a more delicate touch, he sank Blue deeper, pressing past the prostate and watching with a feral grin (unseen) as the hole went into a bit of a tizzy. He wasn’t even thinking as he licked across Iason’s left buttock, didn’t realize what he was doing until Iason got up on his knees. “Fuck, baby.” He gave a kiss. “Wasn’t even thinking.” Another couple of kisses. “That’s probably not making things better. You okay?”

“Y-Yes. It doesn’t feel bad. How many did I do?”

“Twenty-three.”

“You can’t expect me to believe you could only take thirteen at most. I don’t believe Alec is that much stronger than you.”

“How ‘bout that you’re stronger than me?”

“Foolishness.”

“Well, the possibilities are either Alec is a lot stronger than me, or I’m about twice as weak as you, meaning that you gotta be twice as strong as me.”

“Maybe… You were going easy on me.”

“Hm…” Blue was almost all the way in. At six and a half inches, it was reaching the limits of Iason’s insides. He had to be feeling it. “Which do you believe is true?” To help him decide, he grabbed his ass, squeezing, squeezing tight. He released his fingers only to start pinching here and there. “Hm? Answer me.”

“I’m- God, that fucking burns!” Finding the strength to get on his hands, he balanced shakily with one hand to grab his offending one.

Riki used his other hand.

“What was that?” He put on his usual airs, although a part of him was disappointed- no, angry, that Iason even entertained the thought that he wasn’t going at it with all he had. He wanted to be trusted with at least one thing absolutely. “Because if it’s the latter, I’ll try to reach Alec-levels of spankings that you seem to believe is twice anything I can do.”

“Do it.”

Fuck, he hadn’t expected for Iason to call on his bluff.

Iason was a maniac.

With the toy held mostly in with his left hand, he stretched out his right, feeling the knuckle cracking painfully as if crying out, _Don’t be a maniac too- I’m your wanking hand!_ Ignoring it, promising to wrap it up tight and give it kisses, he brought the poor thing down onto the much-too-worked flesh.

_SMACK!_

“I think… I’m strong.”

_SMACK_!

“I… I am strong?”

_SMACK!_ There was a sharp protest right in the middle of his hand.

“I’m strong!”

“Do you doubt even a little bit that I’m doing everything I could?”

“No, I don’t.”

“What?”

“I don’t, Master, I don’t doubt you. I’m sorry.”

“Good. Because I can’t do another.”

Iason turned with an anxious face, apparently forgetting completely that he had a larger-than-average dildo up his ass. He stopped mid-movement, falling to his side to wait until-

“Fuck… Goddamn, fuck!” His hands gripped the thin blanket as his cock sputtered with a few stripes of cum.

Riki took that moment to push Blue as far as possible, even as Iason lied there on his side, eyes closed, as if finished with life. The only part of him not getting the memo was his dick, sticking up as if it could go a few more laps, although his shaking abs seemed on the fence about the whole continuing living.

He slathered Blue with more oil, pressing back in while Iason’s hole was in the middle of not resisting. Iason managed onto his back as Riki stretched him, only momentarily raising up his behind before settling down.

Riki smiled as Iason blinked slowly, looking sightlessly up at the ceiling, twitching with pleasure as Blue sunk deep inside. His went up weakly when Riki moved too fast, and clenched as the slow strokes on his cock resumed. Making sure that Iason was back in the living before continuing was first on Riki’s list. When that seemed complete, with Iason giving him his usual shy side-eye, Riki started a brisk rhythm. For anyone else, this would be the endgame, coaxing Iason into one last orgasm.

“Tell me when you’re close.”

“Yes, Master.” Riki shuddered with his own private pleasure. “What… Mmm… What did you mean you couldn’t do another?”

Riki didn’t want to answer _that_ but wouldn’t that be rather hypocritical?

“My hands hurt. Especially Righty here. Might have strained it a bit. Don’t worry!” Riki pushed Iason back down into the bed. “Just that you really pushed me to my limits today.”

“Pushed… You?” As if his mind was blown, Iason repeated. “I pushed you?”

Smiling, Riki said teasingly (while quickening his pace), “You might think that your booty is two mounds of buttery vanilla scoops, but they are still muscles, and muscles push back.” Iason’s hand raised to slow him down. “It may feel that all the pressure goes into you, but it bounces back just as hard. Plus the work it does on your wrists and fingers can do some real damage.”

“Does that mean… Your hands hurt?”

“Hell, yea, it does. Probably not as much as you’re hurting, but I wouldn’t be able to smack a fly away for a couple days.”

A firm glower framed Iason’s face as he said, “If that is true, then you should have told me!”

“Well that would defeat the whole purpose!”

“Of what?”

“Of you telling me to stop, _on your own._ ”

Eyelashes fluttering, Iason murmured, “Oh.” Blink-blink-blink. “I see. Are you… upset with me?”

“I would tell you if I was.”

Closing his eyes, Iason suddenly warned, “I’m close again, but I think…”

“You can take the black one?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Sir Black, you are up, thank you for joining us this fine afternoon.”

“Hahaha. You’re an idiot.”

Riki stroked the toy whispering, “No, no, Sir Black, my Sub meant no harm. He’s new, you see.” He put an ear to its tip. “Yes. Yes. I’ve been loosening him up for a bit.” He whispered to Iason’s smiling face, “He’s very excited to meet you, Iason.”

“The pleasure is all mine. But, wait.” Iason turned over to his side. “It’s burning on these sheets. They’re not nearly as soft as mine.”

Lifting up a long leg over his shoulder, Riki said, “Well, I don’t think Hot Crack has that kind of money for sheets that are going to get dirty all the time.” He lined up the toy to the swollen opening. “Ready?”

“Yes… Master.”

The silence as Riki worked Sir Black’s length inside, then back out for some more of the oil, made him a wee bit nervous. He quite disliked the possibility of Iason losing himself into another bout of anxiety. Perhaps he needn’t worry so much, as the large tip pushed past with only a bit of pushback. Reaching the former hallmark of six inches was a lot easier than how it went the first time.

The last bit had Iason gasping, “That’s all of it?”

“Yep. Look at you.”

“Then… Let me try.” With little room for argument, Iason reached down to replace Riki’s fingers with his own. “Lie down with me, Master.” The lazy drawl from half-opened lips had Riki realizing that the blond was lost, in a good place. Far be it from him to break the mood, so he followed the orders, switching hands to caress Iason with the one not pretty much sandwiched between himself and the bed. Iason’s hands reached over as well, squeezing him first.

A natural kiss joined them together, lazy, rolling slow, as Iason sighed into his mouth as he, presumably, moved the toy around.

“Is it too much?” Riki murmured. “Be honest.”

“There was a moment Pink was too much,” Iason told him. “I think it’ll pass, as before. I do wish it was you, this deep inside me, hot, hard.”

“So do I. Tomorrow.”

Iason smiled, kissing the corners of his mouth. “Yes. It’s not even the same with me handling it. It must be the optics. Someone shoving a toy inside me as I lie there. Someone who wouldn’t stop at every moment of indecision.”

“Someone sounds pushy.” Leaning up, Riki reached between Iason’s legs, clutching the tip of Sir Black as it dangled precariously from Iason’s hole. As he so wanted, Riki obliged him in not pausing for a moment as he thrust the toy in. Out, then thrusted in, all the way pulled out, all the way end. All along, Iason stroked Riki and himself with wild abandon.

“I love… How pushy you are.”

“Glad to be of service.”

“Keep pushing.”

In other words, Iason sat teetering on the edge. Riki let himself feel Iason’s masturbation fully, encouraging his body to keep up until he sat upon that ledge himself. Just feeling his fingers stop at Iason’s asshole sent a jolt of pleasure strong enough to inch him closer and closer.

“I’m about…to- to come.”

“Me, too.” Waves of energy released from Iason’s body, while both hands became a mechanic blur across their flesh. High-pitched gasps signaled just how soon he would fall over, not to say that Riki didn’t feel amazing, utterly godlike. The sound of Iason’s spanking sliding back to the forefront of his mind, the way his hands still burned, all congregated into a heady mixture of pride and bliss. The toy reached so deeply inside and tomorrow, he’ll be in its exact place, surrounded by a tightness he’s only ever imagined.

He slammed their mouths together, thrusting in shallow pumps to where Iason’s prostate sat minding its own business. The quiet but shrill whine as Iason finally came, so that then, and only then, Riki could come soon after. Prodding Iason’s prostate produced more of those sweet squeals of pleasure, while Riki groaned hoarsely, shaking as Iason stroked him throughout, until he had to stop Iason’s hand himself lest his dick broke.

Iason likewise said, “Orange, please, orange.”

What a trooper.

He pulled out the toy, throwing it off the bed along with the others, regaining lost breath, swimming in the pleasant afterglow. Iason strained to keep his eyes open across from him.

“You take a rest. I’ll run a bath.”

“A bath?”

“One of the bookcases opens up to a bathroom with a big-ass tub. Do you have a favorite scent?”

A non-serious squinting of blue eyes and Iason answered, “Vanilla?”

Riki kissed Iason’s forehead. “It’s not going to be too hot.”

“Alright.”

Just in case, he asked, “How do you feel?”

“Sensitive,” Iason first responded. “And… As if I did well.”

“You did.”

Soft eyes bore into his. “Really?”

“You’ve done the best of anyone I’ve ever had.” Although, that should be obvious since he was with Iason and not with them. Still, the blond obviously took great pride in those words as he closed his eyes to relish them. Hoping to drive the point straight home, he pressed lovingly, “And you earned all that on your own. I’m proud to have you with me.”

Iason pulled up his hand to hold in his own. “I couldn’t do it without you. Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

The crazy thought of them twenty years from now saying the same things entered his mind, and he realized with impressive amazement that he loved Iason Mink and wanted to have him at any time. All the time. He let that stay in his heart for now, and got up to run the bath.


	7. Coconut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was all for this. For him. For each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might notice a centered PART THREE. Yes, it is in the right spot. When I realized the colossal size of this sonuvabitch I was like, really, then I was like, shit, it's been nearly a MONTH. Sorry about that.
> 
> Then, I realized that I did kind of have three distinct parts planned, which I continued then to write with the plan to make them as separate as possible so that I could make it absolutely clear that Part One and Part Two are pretty optional. Pretty omake style fun. So if you want a too-long buildup because a very stupid writer couldn't stop rambling, please CTRL-F to Part One and/or Two
> 
> With that, I managed the most important side bits to be in Part Three. Yay! So I put it first. There's really nothing much in Part Three that hinges on any information in Part One and Part Two. Except a certain suit.

~Part Three~

 

“What a day,” sighed Iason.

“What a week.” Riki snaked an arm around Iason’s hips. “Probably the best I’ve had since, I don’t know, I had sex for the first time.”

“You exaggerate.”

“Nah.”

They were both standing outside the door to Hot Crack, waiting for the door to open. The air had chilled as afternoon went to evening. Iason had the forethought (or anxiety) to bring jackets, and Riki’s small body donned Iason’s coat, arms hanging over his hands. It was better than Iason’s coat, which had a faux fur around the collar and buried Riki’s head.

It was cute to Iason, but Riki eyed the door with laser eyes, willing the damn thing to open so that people would stop looking at him.  

Iason could wait. He had long since removed the suit, which Riki put in Mimea’s bag and carried like it was no big deal. Still, he felt the thrills all across his body every time Riki touched him. He had to be doing it on purpose. The entire endeavor had to be something he learned and practiced.

Iason admitted he never bothered to look anything up, even after Alec made Riki explain so much. Riki accused him of trusting him too much. Iason had shrugged.

Besides, he needed to trust; it made him braver, as more and more eyes looked him up and down. Other than some obviously monogamous, or tightly polyamorous, people, anyone and everyone felt the need to undress him with their eyes. Riki and Iason had gotten to the door rather early and were about seventh or eighth in line, depending on who was with whom. Between them and the people on the other side stood a waist-high gate. Close to the opening time, Iason could see people lined up across the street, and more gates.

Riki gave the door a rest and looked at the line, remembering the year before when he had come right on time, so that he could get through the doors nearly an hour after everything started. It had snowed, and started snowing again just that night, just miserable weather. Nothing like that happened today, though, so Riki felt that, other than his own incompetence, nothing could bring his mood down.

Until he saw Django. Not only did Riki see him, he saw him give what had to be a lot of money to the person in front of him, for the ladies’ eyes went wide, and the sub nodded to her mistress, who took the money. Django got further up the line, passing the corner of the building. He still had a ways to go before he was close to getting in.

Riki knew how to nip that in the bud. He leaned across to the mistress across him, whispering, “Predator.”

Her eyes flashed. “Which way?”

Riki nodded in Django’s direction.

She looked to her right, asking, “Which one of you is Dom?”

The man nodded, leaning down to hear the mistress whisper the keyword.

The word went down the line, one master to another master, mistress to mistress and various combinations. Every Dom looking for the predator who didn’t know the rules and came to break one or all of them.

Until it finally got to Django, who briefly eyed the large man who told him. Riki could read his lips: “Okay?”

The large man’s eyes narrowed, but, fortunately, he didn’t try to handle the untowardly business himself and simply followed protocol: placing his hand on the elbow of mistress before him, who grabbed the elbow of the mistress before her, and the dom before her, and the master before them.

Straight Subs (as in Subs who didn’t switch to dominating, not subs that were heterosexual) looked down in confusion as the link got longer and longer, passing the woman to whom Riki had spoken first and continued on all the way until Riki felt the powerful rush of the touch, and Riki reached around Iason’s waist to continue the pattern.

Finally, Hot Crack staff saw the chain link, and three went together to find the weak link.

Django was unaware. He pretended to be on a phone as the staff stood before him, probably trying to blend in. Of course, with his arms crossed, staff knew better. Riki watched as they spoke, seeing Django’s convincing display of feigned ignorance, and then, with his stomach falling, Django’s invitation. He got an invitation? From whom? When? That made things damned difficult.

“Do you know that man?” Iason asked, having seen Riki stare down the man for the past ten minutes or so.

“I know about him.” It wasn’t a lie. But, like all the other Doms there, he didn’t want to break the headspace of his Sub, or any Sub in attendance.

Iason felt that Riki wasn’t telling him the whole truth, and so, despite Riki’s care, he began to worry.

The staff had shone a flashlight on the invitation. All three looked at it. To Riki’s horror, they handed it back to Django.

Then one of them took out their own invitation. She pointed at hers with the flashlight’s beam, then at Django’s, explaining something. She then asked for help of nearby patrons, showing Django something in their invitations, and something in his.

Riki took out his invitation and his phone, shining a light on it. In a bit of shock, he realized it wasn’t something in Django’s invitation; it had to be something his was missing. Riki guessed it was the glittering red and blue heart-shaped watermarks that shone underneath the direct light.

It seemed the lot of them over there were silent, but the three staff members stared Django down until, finally, he got out of line and walked away.

“This man is leaving!”

The words went to staff further down the line. “This man is leaving!”

Even further were the words, “This man is leaving!”

It was a public shaming, and nearly every Dom in line would memorize Django’s face in the case he comes back in any way.

Iason breathed out a side of relief as Riki’s face relaxed, and a smug smirk spread on his handsome face. Everything seemed fine now. It was an impressive display of teamwork, whatever it was. It was just in time as well, as the door opened and security guards stood to either side of the opening, letting people in.

Iason tried not to feel too nervous. The population numbered much more than how many there were last time he visited. Not only that, but, as usual, everyone seemed to know Riki, which meant he was introduced over and over and over. He learned to say Sir and Madam and Dom in record time.

“Is he treating you well, Iason?” an older man had asked.

“Yes, Riki’s been treating me well.”

The older man gave Riki a look, and then _Riki_ gave Iason a look.

“Yes, Master has been treating me well.” Another look. “Sir.” Smiles all around (including the older man’s much younger sub).

So he learned that just as quickly.

The inside lobby was decked out like the entryway to a movie theater with more gates zigzagging across the floor, leading to seven or so long folding tables with staff members sitting in varying states of dress, from actual dresses to actual nudity. There were several steps to checking people in: they looked names up from ID cards on laptops, checked what looked to be ages and more names, and then they checked the invitations themselves, and then looked those up as well. Apparently, each invitation not only had watermarks, but a set of invisible numbers- so that just in case someone had a very good replica, they could be further checked for safety.

Of course, after that, phones, weapons, cameras and the like were all taken away and put in the restaurant, which now was full of mobile shelves for boxes of personal items, all numbered and entered into the system.

Simon just so happened to be checking Iason and Riki in. He was training around the same time as Riki, although they had different Sirs. “Woo! Riki, I heard your short ass snagged yourself a model, and bam! Here he is! Good to meet you, uuuuh,” Simon trailed off, squinting at his invitation.

“It’s Iason, Sir.”

“Hm! Iason. Cool name. Why you’re with this basic bitch, I don’t have any idea,” Simon smiled through it all as he took their cell phones.

Riki told him, “You’re just mad that Miguel cut his hair.”

“It’s a grave loss. I was hoping I could convince him to wear it long like this.” Simon gestured down Iason’s long length of hair. “Why did he cut it? Whyyyy-”

The staff member next to him said loudly, “Next one over here! Stop playin’, Simon, we got a lot more people.”

Finally they were officially at the Valentine’s Party at Hot Crack, following the signs down past the room Iason and Riki were intimately familiar with, to the double doors beyond, which, before, Iason had believed was an exit. There was a large hallway instead, with a high ceiling, and security at each corner, then yet another set of double doors.

Beyond these last doors was a hall. A real hall, ballroom like, with quite a few pillars and what looked to be stands, with a couple of bars. If one got a drink, they would be slapped with a colored band pertaining to a certain hour, so that no one participated in anything when even slightly inebriated. Beds, pillows, crosses, ropes, toys, toys, toys- it was exactly the sort of thing Iason had always assumed would be in abundance at a party like this. Except there were a lot more bed and sofa fusion pieces labeled ‘Rest Area Only’, and more pillows than he could even count. He guessed that made sense, since the floor was entirely stone.

He looked up to see three more floors with balconies, and three glass elevators. Through the remaining three walls were open doorways, leading to even more gigantic rooms.

“Is the whole block Hot Crack?” Iason asked.

“Yep,” Riki said with a grin, already soaking in the atmosphere, the brimming excitement, bodies teeming with titillating lusts, even though there were only a dozen or so people there at the moment. First, though-

“What? Where are we rushing off to?”

Iason had no worries. None. Just a bit nervous. Just a little bit. Tables full of finger foods popped up here and there as Riki made his way through two halls until they arrived at a room full of…. Furniture? Rocking horses with handle bars, tables with leather cuffs, large bean bag ‘seats’ that could fit three people on top.

Even so far away from the main entrance there was security and staff, from which Riki asked for and received a map.

He flipped it open to show Iason.

Hot Crack was shown to have a whopping nine buildings in a square shape, but there seemed to be only a specific way to get to the building they were in. With the main building at the edge and in between two other buildings, Iason figured they were at the hall two buildings behind and one building over from the front entrance.

“So we’re in the building that people will be doing a lot of fucking for show, Building Seven. It has only one way to get in, to put more space between people and Building Nine.” Riki pointed to the right. “Over there is full swing is Eight, orgies and stuff. And over past it is Building Nine, Hard Limit. You can go if you want. I do not recommend it, and I ain’t touching it with a ten-foot-pole.”

“Hard limit,” Iason murmured, remembering the discussion with Alec. “So cutting, branding…”

“Scat, waterworks, all that.” Riki didn’t want to kink-shame, but he couldn’t help but share a shudder with Iason.

Although…..

“So.” Iason looked around the hall. “Is this where you will be fucking me?”

“Oh, yea. In fact.” Riki walked towards an armless leather chair, getting to a stand, which had a clipboard.

It had a sign in sheet named ‘Large Chair’. Although several chairs were in the vicinity, nothing in comparison corresponded so aptly with ‘large’. The custom-made furniture was just short of being wide enough to be an armless couch, but too big to be intended for just one person. No one could tell from looking at it, but its inner workings was carefully shaped solid marble, with ample cushion wrapped around. However, anyone trying to move it would realize the weight. Anyone else trying to fuck on it would realize its surprising sturdiness.

Riki signed his name for the eight o’ clock timeslot.

“So far away?” Iason complained.

“If everything goes well, you won’t be able to stand,” Riki mused.

Certainly true. “So, what shall we do to pass the time?” Iason asked, leaning close to him.

Riki smiled a truly lecherous grin, pulling back, and then pulled off the stupidly gigantic coat and then his shirt. He gave both to Iason, eyebrow raised, “Hold it, Pet. And take off your clothes.”

Only staff members accompanied them in this far building, with none of them even in hearing distance, but Iason was nonetheless startled at the orders. He froze.

“Am I gonna haveta tell ya twice?”

Butterflies in his stomach, and Iason all but yanked the shirt from Riki’s hand. He was just about to put it on the floor to remove his own clothes before Riki interrupted, “I could’ve put it on the floor myself.”

Of course. He felt dumb.

“Stay calm. I don’t expect you to be perfect.” In fact, he reveled in his insecurity, but he’ll keep that li’l tidbit to himself.

Still, Iason wanted to be perfect. Who wouldn’t?

He undressed, including his shoes, naked in the warehouse. He heard a whistle, but he focused on making sure his arms carefully held his and Riki’s clothes. Without another word, Riki starting walking out Building Seven to get to Building Six, the only other opening, which had access to Building One, the entrance Building. This was, however, blocked off, so they had to go to Building Five. Instead of going left to Building Two (the one with the heavily staffed entryway to the entrance building), he went for Building Four, then down to Three. The room was heavy with people, tables, and food. The entire far side was a little store, which seemed to be their goal.

Riki sped up, so excited he was practically bouncing. People were greeting him, staring at him, at Iason, at them, and he wished everyone would watch them later. He didn’t mean to hog any attention, but it’s been happening so naturally all his life, he’s come to accept it time and again, and now he wanted to draw on that magic for once.

Iason truly confounded him as he shyly wrapped the clothes around himself, but Riki felt he would regret asking him why. His pestering would probably make him more self-conscious. He wanted Iason as calm as possible, _needed_ him to be calm.

Riki led him into the pop-up store. Any and every event that required the use of any of the buildings was accompanied by The Store. There were a number of expensive collector’s items, which changed every occasion, with Valentine’s themes, year, and pricey decoration. This year were small marble hearts with pink quartz inlays.

Iason honed in on it like a hound dog on a fox, leaning over the glass to get a closer look. He glanced up, mouth firming up immediately as he saw the stoic face of the Sub behind the counter. Riki, eyes locking with Iason’s, said, “Have all the hearts been sold?”

“We still have twenty-six left, Sir.”

Iason almost said something- almost, but his eyes narrowed with twice-shy suspicion, and he instead pointed his question to Riki,” Permission to speak, Master?”

He was learning quickly, and it finally clicked why Iason was so shy. He wanted to impress the people here. In fact, it was probably less about being naked, but being naked with other people, as ironic as that was. How did he compare?

Not like _Riki_ was looking at anyone else, just like he was sure Iason wasn’t looking at any other masters. That would change, Riki believed.

“Permission granted.”

“I want one,” Iason demanded.

“People in hell want ice water.”

That stupidly clever mouth would annoy the hell out of him otherwise, but, with the cashier stifling a chuckle, it only annoyed the shit out of Iason.

“Could you _please_ order one for me?”

“I _could_.”

God give Iason the strength to not smack Riki into the wall, or the giggling asshole behind the counter.

Iason tried one last time, “ _Would_ you please?”

“I _would_.” Riki paused just to see Iason grit his teeth before telling the cashier, “Put it on my tab.”

“Very well, Sir Riki.” The man bowed, turning to a small pad with a keyboard.

Riki now pulled the frazzled Iason to his initial set of targets, a wall.

Iason looked at the enormous wall. It was full of collars and leashes, organized in an eye-catching display of size, material, and colors. To the right was another wall of the same, except in various Valentine’s designs. Some of the displays were so high there was a sign: Please do not attempt to climb the displays! We’re here to assist you!

“So. I want to you to pick a collar. Then a leash. Whatever you want is fine, but keep in mind you’ll be wearing it for the rest of the night.”

Riki slapped him on the back and walked back, telling the cashier first to put whatever Iason picked on his tab. Then, discreetly, ordered a little package to help for later, and an adequately sized bag to put the package into, and anything else that might come up.

Now that he was far enough back and without any blue anxious eyes watching him, he got a good look at Iason’s ass.

His cheeks didn’t look _that_ bad, but Riki was more concerned that people would judge Iason’s attitude and believe he got those marks because he was being disobedient, when nearly the opposite was true, as Iason was endearingly eager.

Riki wanted to show him off so badly! Where should he start? Maybe with Simon and Miguel?

“I’m guessing Iason took his time saying his safe words.”

Riki turned to see Alec, decked out in leather bike pants, a shining jacket with belts, and shoes with spikes on the bottom.

“Hello, Sir. I’m surprised you came out here. There are so many people here, you know.”

Riki couldn’t see behind his glasses, but he knew the man rolled his eyes. “Just for an hour or so. Apparently someone really dangerous nearly got in.”

Riki’s ears perked up. “Yea?” he answered vaguely.

“Yea. Some random guy, no one’s ever seen him. But he had a perfect replica of an invitation.”

Perfect? “Had the watermarks?”

“Had it down to the numbers. Someone looked up the numbers, too, and he was even in the system, with those numbers.”

 “Isn’t whoever invited him in the system as well?”

“It said Lady Raven did.”

A chill snapped across Riki’s spine. “But she’s in charge of the ticketing and security, so she’s not allowed to invite people, right?

“Exactly.” Alec sighed. “That’s besides the fact that he’s never been in the system before today.”

Today?! “So. How did they catch them? The invitation?”

“The staff pretended that the numbers were wrong. He pretended he didn’t understand, but he didn’t make much of a fuss and left. You get me?”

“Yea,” Riki said with a nod. “No one who paid a thousand dollars for a ticket was going to walk out like that.”

“Unless they knew their ticket was forged,” agreed Alec. “But it doesn’t change the fact that someone apparently knew who he was in the line and called him out, and he had a counterfeit. Might have been someone who helped him forge the tickets getting cold feet, but from what we’re hearing from the ticket guys, no one involved in the ticketing process is in line.”

“So… It was an inside job?” Riki’s stomach churned.

“Not just inside. Upper echelon inside. Either that, or we were hacked. And if we were hacked well enough for someone to insert a whole new person into the list- well, shit, what’s the point of having a damn system?”

“Right...” He knew he was able to say a little more, but, he didn’t want to ruin his night…

Alec leaned over into his line of vision; Riki felt as if he was being examined.

“You know more about this than you’re letting on.”

Riki groaned.

“Don’t whine. Just tell me. The less I have to get out of the comfort of my apartment, the better.” Riki saw Iason finally make his picks, stepping forward even. “Riki!”

“He’s some guy that pretended to be a police officer that was-” Damn! This story was worse than he realized. “Promise you won’t send me home.”

“The longer you take, the more unlikely I’ll make that promise.”

Iason was walking towards them.

Mercifully, Alec raised a hand. Iason stopped at once, out of hearing, looking heartbroken.

“Riki?”

“Okay. So. Kirie went into my phone and shared some risqué photos that I took of Iason and myself, and before you get too mad, he also took a whole bunch from everybody else’s phone, so he basically sold us all out to ride Triple A hard, which means that Sean, the president of Triple A, had everything and he sent that to Jupiter, who I done told you about, and so Jupiter sent that to the campus police who then called Iason’s parents, who came down thinking I was preparing to blackmail Iason, and with them was the campus police and some quote-unquote real policemen, ‘cept I don’t think they were real at all, just some men that Jupiter hired to get me in a bad spot, so they got me going up there like on trial but turns out, the Minks are super smart so, after I gave them my phone because I ain’t got nothin’ to hide, they figure out that this is all some big act from Jupiter to get me expelled, and so everything’s good and fine now, but the leader of that group of policemen was the dude that was in line and I was like, there ain’t no damn way he got invited, so I was thinking he probably been spying on me for a while and was planning to come in to take pics of Iason and me doing even more stuff. Okay? Okay? Can I go now?”

Alec stood there.

Alec took off his glasses.

Riki wailed, “No!” Several patrons, as the store, and the buildings themselves, filled with more and more patrons, turned to see what was the matter.

“Calm your dumb ass down. I’m not sending you home.” Alec pinched the inner corners of his pale eyes, making a gurgling annoyed sound. “I should. But I _literally_ shudder to think how Iason would act if I send you home because the two of you were being _stupid._ Not like it matters. I figure even if Kirie didn’t share your business that you should have hidden better, the guy would have still spied on you and got to this point. If Jupiter has the resources to make him a temporary police officer, she probably has the resources to hack our system, or pay someone to do it. Is she just as rich as the Minks?”

“It seems she has more connections in Amoi though. Can I go now? Can I?”

“I’ll see you Monday.”

“What’s happening Monday?”

“You and me is happening,” Alec replied with force.

Nope! Nothing will ruin this day! “Yes, Sir! Have a good night!” In nearly a jump, he was at Iason’s side.

“Hey!” Riki called.

“Hey…” Iason answered slowly, watching Alec’s retreating back. “Do I want to know what that was about? When you yelled ‘no’ I thought Alec was sending you home.”

“Don’t you mean ‘us’?”

“I do not.”

Another chill down his spine, and Riki asked, “How ‘bout we forget alllllll about that? Whatchu got?”

Iason handed the leash and collar to him, gripping his clothing, face barely keeping the ‘Do you like it?’ from his lips. It’s not like he needed reassurance for every decision he made- he just liked it, is all.

It was a thick collar, black leather connected by two metal rings at the end for any sort of clip to be added through its openings. The leash, by contrast, was of a rubbery material, including the adjustable handle that could be locked around a master’s wrists.

Riki had to hear it from the man himself: “Why a leather collar, instead of a rubber one?”

Iason looked down, then to the side. “I think you know,” he said softly.

“I do. I want to hear you say it.”

Riki’s fingers rubbed across the width of the leather collar, eying Iason’s bobbing Adam’s Apple, which made Iason swallow more. “The rubber makes me feel weak. I chose rubber for you because, well, I didn’t think anything matters more than your comfort, and it matches well.”

“Thanks. Did you know the rubber collars are made so that masters can snap them?”

“What?” Iason obviously did not, and he knew Riki knew that. “I bet someone more familiar with all this would have known that. Shows how I am a complete novice.”

Riki clicked the end of the leash onto one of the\ metal rings, the clinking pleasant as doorbells. He reached up, opening the collar to wrap around Iason’s rather long neck, bypassing light strands of blond hair. A finger brushed the light hairs at the back of his neck, and Iason reacted with a slight tremor. He kept his finger on Iason’s skin as he joined each end with the end of his leash.

“There we go.”

Riki tugged on the leash, watching for an adequate amount of space between leather and neck. It was there, so they probably wouldn’t have to worry about chafing.

The collar felt nonexistent to Iason, until Riki pulled, like an anchor, straight on down. The change in perspective placed things in perspective: he was naked in the middle of a sex club, wearing the collar of a man he met barely a week ago. There was no one there that he knew on better terms than Riki. They planned to provide lucrative entertainment to a mass of strangers.

Exhilarating.

There was a whistle from behind them, and then a couple more, as people turned to see. Iason followed their eyes to his own behind.

“Are they whistling because it’s bruised?” Iason asked.

Riki, still a bit taken aback with how beautiful Iason looked with a collar around his neck, nodded a bit. “It’s lovely to look at.”

“I find it a bit garish.”

This brought Riki back. “It bothers you?”

“No, no, it’s not like that. It’s just that I expect people to be a bit put off. Don’t you think?”

“In the middle of an alternative club?”

Iason blinked. “That does make sense.” Another whistle sounded.

“Alright, before things get too packed, where do you wanna go first?” With this question, Riki gently lead Iason out the shop, handing him the box of ‘helpful supplies’, a bag for all the clothes, and, finally, flipping out the map for reference.

“First?” Iason eyed the map again, this time seeing that there were activities planned on the upper floors of every building, and all the buildings seemed to follow the hotel model. The legend outlined the names of what was shown in each room, whether it was panels or group activities for one thing or another. It looked as if the only thing the map didn’t say was how many people who planned to go to or who were already present in the rooms themselves.

“What do you recommend?” Iason asked, a bit overwhelmed with the options.

“I wouldn’t mind the rope stuff in Building Four,” Riki said, trying not to sound like he was picking anything so that he could put Iason at ease. Iason nodded wordlessly and so they walked over to Building Four to wait the fifteen minutes or so until the panel started.

As only connected to Building Five and Three, Building Four was relatively empty, but still had enough people for Iason to realize there were a fuckton of people.

Already there were people enjoying what activities were laid out for patrons. Literal people were splayed across various services for anyone to enjoy, and he also noticed, with a bit of alarm, a number of people standing around with masks of different animals covering almost over their shoulders, dressed in plain black clothing.

Seeing Iason watching, Riki explained, “Those are voyeurs. For a discount, they can come and just stand around and watch. ‘Course, they can’t participate in nothin’, except with each other, in the open.”

“What stops them from taking off their masks and clothing and joining everyone else?”

“Underneath they masks is a metal collar around their necks with the word voyeur imprinted on it. Any staff that catches that will kick ‘em out and ban ‘em for a year, if it’s a first offense. Otherwise, banned for life.”

Iason nodded in acceptance. “Is there any meaning to which animals they have? I see there seems to be about six reoccurring ones?”

            “I heard there is, but it’s something only mask wearers would know. It changes, too.”

“I never spent money at a place that proves its worth at every angle.” Iason watched as an incredibly tall man led five incredibly small women on leashes. “Who are the people in the super tight black leather suits?”

Almost stereotypically attired people stood straight-backed and still here and there, holding just clipboards.

“Staff that are willing to do stuff for anyone.”

“They’ll do anything?”

Riki shook his head. “The clipboard has a list of things they aren’t willing to do. And you see how the clipboards are different colors.”

Nodding, Iason noticed the black, purple, and yellow differences.

“Subs, Doms, Switches. Alright, up the elevator.”

They were in Building Four, standing before the elevator, waiting, when the PA system came on. At Iason’s surprised jump, Riki knew the blond hadn’t really given the electrical work in Hot Crack that much thought.

Now, the lights made themselves sharp and clear. Chandeliers at intervals, lighting in the pillars and along the roof and floors of the upper levels, and numerous speakers for broad announcements, like which the mahogany smooth voice soon delivered:

“Hello, patrons and followers and staff of Hot Crack, and Happy Valentine’s Day. This is Lanaya Ugo, owner and president of the Hot Crack board, and I want to give everyone here a heartfelt thank you.”

Polite applause rose in a wave.

“Without your support, sweat, tears, and, most of all, money-” There were chuckles at the good-natured humor. “-none of this would have been possible. We hope that we have delivered as we have delivered in the past. Nothing short of fun and entertainment for all those included. As usual, this can only continue to happen with the appropriate behaviors of everyone involved. Remember that being clear is much less embarrassing than being wrong. Consent is not a dirty word, sane acts need to be agree upon, and safety is not only for whom you are with, but for yourself as well. Anyone caught not following rules, and the principles of safe, sane and consensual will be dealt with. No amount of money will keep you from punishment, and I don’t mean the fun kind.

“Sorry about getting so serious, but no one here can say they haven’t been warned. With that in mind, I very much hope that everyone enjoys themselves. Seeing our work come into positive fruition is its own reward. Have a fantastic night.”

The speakers’ feedback went off neatly, and the noise of thousands of voices replaced it. All of that was fairly muffled by the glass elevator. A few other couples came in, giving Iason and Riki interested eyes. With a shake of his head, Riki turned them down. Someday, surely, but not today.

He refused more people just on that floor. They were within a few feet of the designated room when a woman asked, “Are y’all Cam and John?” Her Sub held her leash in her mouth.

If this was an indicator of the night to come, Riki wished he signed his name first.

“Naw, we’re here to watch.”

“What are you doing after?”

Iason hummed in satisfaction, while Riki answered, “Sorry, we’re monogamous.”

The woman very plainly looked at both Riki’s and Iason’s hands, but said still, “My bad.”

“Ladies first.” Riki made them smile as the both of them walked in.

As they came into the room, a surprisingly circular affair with about thirty seats and pillows at their legs, Iason asked, “We’re monogamous, are we?” He sat down in a chair

Riki snapped the leash, motioning for Iason to sit on the pillow instead. “After this, we’re going back down to the shop and getting matching rings. That should stop the questions.”

“I don’t know.” Iason made himself comfortable on the pillow. “I enjoy your denying the company of others to stay in mine.”

“Ack-shu-all-lee,” Riki emphasized, “I didn’t want to share you around until I’ve had you.”

Iason curled around his knee, wearing a collar at his feet(!!!), murmuring, “Even better.”

“Glad you’re not super possessive like your dad.”

Iason didn’t bother to correct him. He was possessive, but instead of keeping others from his lover, he wished to prove he was the best one for him, no one came close. If he ever kissed another, he would be forced to think how it wasn’t as lovely as a kiss from Iason. That sort of thing drove him wild.

Tonight wasn’t the night for that. Someday, surely, but not today.

The room filled with people, and the chairs were quickly unavailable. The extra people were satisfied with standing around against the walls, especially as the entertainers, Cam and John, both male, came to the stage. John was the Dom, both with round mics around their heads.

Everyone went quiet enough that John’s and Cam’s breathing were the only sounds audible. John made no introduction. He barely recognized the audience as he and Cam both bowed politely. Cam then hefted a heavy duffle bag from the back of the room to the center, then went to a control panel to lower a group of hooks. As John took the rope from the bag, he slid it through his fingers.

Iason wanted to ask what he was doing, but absolutely no one was talking! He’ll leave his questions for later.

Besides, Riki was beyond intrigued. He knew John by word-of-mouth. He makes his own ropes and Cam, a chunky sweet thing, had long been his go-to for exhibitions like these. The both of them enjoyed proving that not only lithe fairies could be done up like Christmas presents.

First, though, the rope needed to be checked for loose parts, frays, dry spots. Naturally, John would have checked for all that before even arriving at the party, but, like Ugo insinuated, better to be prepared than be sorry.

As John started tying up Cam properly, Riki leaned forward to memorize every detail, and he subconsciously combed his fingers through Iason’s hair. He could feel him flinch when Cam’s arms popped as they were slowly pulled back by the pattern of intertwined pieces of rope. His neck went tense, hard, as he started to be lifted off the floor, and the softness of his flesh squeeze through tight spaces.

“Stretch.” An abysmally deep voice commanded Cam to test the ties. John nodded, and Iason saw Riki and several other Doms in their seats nod as well. 

Eventually, Cam only had one toe on the floor as the rest of him was pulled to its limits, and the limits of the rope. The mic captured his increasingly labored breath, the intensity of which peaked when his back curved back, and back, and back. With his legs in a split like they were, he could have passed for a ballerina.

Clapping commenced, and Iason slowly joined in.

Apparently that wasn’t the end though. No one moved, and instead watched Cam be twirled around, naked, slowly breathing so tightly wound, sporting an ignored erection. John pushed him a little faster, a little faster, and then let Cam slowly come to stop. John gave a kiss to his head, and Cam nodded.

The equally laborious action of untying Cam went along silently just like before. Once Cam was released, he kneeled, bowing until his head touched the floor. John bowed as well. A final round of clapping, including a standing ovation.

“We’ll now take questions.”

This is when the audience separated to those who had questions and those who had not. Making sure Iason was okay to go, which he was, they made their way back to the shop to buy matching rings. They dropped requests down to absolute zero but did not stop pleading eyes, or whistles, or sighs of disappointment.

This time, Riki recommended walking around for a bit. The scenic route gave them grand sights. Oil wrestling and fire whipping, body massages (where someone uses their own body to massage), someone blowing five men at once, whipping, people being tied up on the floor or the wall or off a pillar, people getting tattoos. Activities only increased in seriousness as the numbers went up.

It was in Building Six again when Riki escorted Iason upstairs in time for a cutting session, or a branding session. Giving Iason the choice of either, Iason chose the cutting, after playing a mental game of eenie-meenie-miney-mo.

Unlike the serene silence of the John and Cam, the master was already answering questions as she slowly and carefully pressed the tip of her instrument against her Sub’s skin; her Sub in turn voiced her pleasure incessantly into her mic. The persons standing around watched and talked freely.

“Don’t be shy! Come up and see if you’re curious!”

Iason hesitated, but nonetheless peered forward to see it was less cutting and more scratching welts.

“You a pain slut?” the Mistress asked.

“I don’t think so, Mistress.”

“Oh, okay,” Riki said under his breath. Iason gave him a glare.

“Someone’s not honest with himself?” joked the mistress.  “But now that I got a good look at that ass, you might want to reassess your jollies, my dude.”

The woman below her said, “Everyone denies it at first.” There were sounds of agreement. “Give him a couple months.”

“One hour,” Riki amended.

Iason thought, as they laughed, why on earth would Riki say that?

Then he remembered.

What time was it? He checked a clock, shocked to see they had barely forty minutes.

He felt the curve of his collar, falling back a little until he felt Riki’s bent knees and sat down. With a hand stroking his hip, they continued to watch the session, until the Sub was shuddering into an orgasm so strong, the Mistress had to stop, laughing.

“I guess we’re done! Alright, so, as everyone knows, the cooldown is as important as the buildup, and I would recommend antibacterial foam soap, instead of any sort of liquid that will probably be super cold. I use Evans here.” She squirted said foam onto her hands, gently applying dollops here and there.

The slow care reminded Iason of Riki applying the cold cream the day before, wrapping him in his arms two days before that, watching over him as he slept even before that.

Granted, he was behind in homework, but he wouldn’t have traded a first week like that for anything in the world. Iason curled closer within Riki’s arms.

Riki squeezed him back. If he had studied Iason’s facial expressions enough this amazing week, he could tell Iason was more nervous than excited, which came as a bit of a disappointment. Somehow, though, he still felt giddy that despite his reservations, Iason trusted him enough to make things fun in the end.

After the performing ladies exaggeratedly bowed in every direction, it was time for the next group to be ushered in, and for Iason and Riki both to find an empty spot somewhere, which they found within the arrangement of folding chairs next to the bar in Building Six.

As Riki took out the box from the bag Iason was carrying, the blond expected to be told to go to the bathrooms on either side of the elevator. He faced reality, which mean facing away from Riki and resting his hands on the headrest of the chair in front of him.

Riki opened the box and pulled out a pair of gloves, necessary in such an event, and slathered on lube. Already a number of interested mask-wearing surrounded them, and many who simply wanted to watch, including a number of staff and security.

“Relax,” Riki said, loud enough to be heard over the din. Waiting for the tight sphincter before him to loosen just a smidge, he kept one eye on a clock. As the minute hand crept over a couple ticks, Riki pushed in a finger. Once its knuckle reached its limit, twirling his finger, Riki sought to relax even the slightest bit of resistance. Avoiding the prostate was the secondary goal.

His perfunctory actions relaxed Iason the most, while the many eyes and the increasing lack of personal space as people came closer supplied enough heat to get him hard, his cheeks (on his face) red.

It wasn’t until a tall, handsome older man came to watch that he began to feel as if he was lacking something. The man had a peppery head of hair and beard, adding to his distinguished air, all wrapped in a muscular red three-piece. That lacking feeling reinforced himself as Riki stumbled in his preparations, greeting, “Lord Ugo, Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Ugo’s deep reverberation replied, “A happy one, indeed. If I hadn’t just spoken with Sir Alec, I would have assumed this lovely creature had been hired by my team. What say you to that, Iason?”

“You… You are too kind, Lord Ugo.” Iason found the floor to be an interesting view just about then.

“From what Alec said, you’re not so shy as you are acting now.”

“I suppose in the right company, a natural submissive tendency arises.”

“Ah. You would have been worth every penny.” Ugo’s maple brown eyes went to Iason’s hands. “Are you truly monogamous, or are you being a bit mulish against prospective lovers?”

Trying not to let _a drop_ of nervousness show, Riki answered with a laugh, “A bit. He’s never bottomed before.”

Ugo’s thick, shapely eyebrows rose. “Alec did say he was fearless. Although there is a difference between that and suicidal. Are you sure you don’t want to start with a cow? It will be safer.”

Riki had once shook Ugo’s hand as Alec introduced him to the owner, and that was only because Ugo was overseeing an inspection into the restaurant. So no conversations ever passed between them, much less any strong compliments. He grinned like a fool.

Iason’s confidence built upon itself with every second, and he answered, “Master has proved to me that safer is hardly ever the more entertaining option.”

“A great lesson.” Ugo walked between chairs to stand next to Riki just in time as he was working in a fourth finger. “Oh, my. I did joke about safety, but I surely hope that I won’t see such horrible bruising on any other new patron here.”

Iason stiffened at this roundabout criticism. “He had to teach me about safe words the hard way.”

“Is it often the hard way with you?”

Iason said nothing, neither did Riki.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Will you be consummating here?”

“Nah- I mean, no, my Lord. I have that chair in reserve for eight.”

“How unfortunate. I have a prior engagement in such a short time. Anyway.” Ugo stepped back into Iason’s vision. “You two are nervous enough without me watching, isn’t that correct.”

Riki, of course, politely told him, “It would be a great honor for you to watch.”

“I see you both have silver tongues. I’ll keep that in mind for the future.”

The owner had walked far enough away for Riki to admit, “Man, you handled him better than I did.”

“If you say so.” Iason sighed with relief. “Haaa… Is that four fingers now? I can hardly feel it… Is that normal?”

“It is. Don’t worry. You’ll forget anything else even exists.”

As a capstone to his preparation, Riki pushed in a slightly larger than normal toy, working it until there were five minutes left. He used the end straps connected to the bottom to wrap it loosely over Iason’s front. Iason walked quite naturally with it inside now. Riki put away the used glove into the appropriate disposal bag that came with the preparation box.

The short walk from the regular chairs to the armless chair, and Iason forgot anything else even existed. He didn’t realize it at the moment, or the few minutes they waited for staff to clean off the leather upholstery with wipes and a sweet-smelling spray. He didn’t even register the many people there, like Lady Raven, or Simon and Miguel, who was completely beyond himself with excitement. Alec was there too, having changed his clothes to a rubber suit with goggles (so that he wouldn’t be mixed up with the others), and he was then unable to be recognized by anyone. He may not like being around so many people, didn’t mean he was going to miss out on this.

Ugo, too, watched. A private, close subordinate, wearing one of ten owl masks, was recording, to be added to his growing collection of light-haired college sophomores. It was against all the rules. However. Ugo didn’t believe much of the world’s rules applied to him, but that is a story for another time.

Riki didn’t notice much of anything else either. He did notice a number of couples laying blankets on the floor, which made people even farther away come by. Damn, if this many people were going to watch, he should have signed up for a room and got paid!

Iason just then realized the crowd, jaw clenching.

Before anyone panicked, Riki yanked the leash, whispering, “Look at me.”

Iason did so with great relief.

“Here we are.”

Iason’s eyes softened. “Here we are,” he whispered back.

“We went through some hell and high water, didn’t we?”

“I’m so-”

“Shhh. It was all good, even the bad parts. I want to thank you for coming on this journey with me.”

“I’ve long appreciated your invitation.”

“And… You know… Cheers to going on, and on, and on.”

“Cheers.” A kiss formed lightly between them.

Riki then deepened it, pulling the leash down and wrapping it around his wrists, keeping Iason bent and their tongues sliding over one another, both tasting minty mouthwash, both reaching out to hug their bodies closer.

The slight pain at his scalp heightened the rest of his wayward senses. One of Riki’s hands gently caressed the bruises on his ass. It burned. The other played with the straps, wriggling the dildo inside him. He stretched. His tongue sucked hard on his, pulling the roots of the underside. He salivated. His cock stood at full mast.

Riki pulled back, taking Iason’s chin in hand.

“Here’s what is going to happen. I’mma stand here and have you do all the work.” Just as Riki expected (and desired), Iason’s eyebrows creased, surprised. “You can move me around if you need to, but your goal is to make me come with this ass.” He clutched said ass.

Iason nodded.

His mind was blank.

Pure white.

Riki stepped back, hands on hips. Iason’s mouth went slightly open.

Riki licked his lips to keep from grinning, waving his hand in front of Iason’s unseeing eyes, soliciting laughs from those watching.

“Yes. Yes, I understand,” was Iason’s answer to a nonexistent question. His eyes fluttered. “I can do this.”

“Yes, you can. Do you need a cheer? Everyone! Let’s go, Iason!” He clapped, clapped, clap-clap-clapped.

The crowd immediately picked up on it. “Let’s go, Iason!” Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap.

Iason covered his face, embarrassed beyond belief. “Please stop. I have been adequately motivated”

“Good job everyone!” A cheer from a proud group of silly people.

Equally provoked and flustered, Iason did the first thing that made sense: he started with Riki’s bottoms. Kneeling, he suddenly felt the need to rid himself of the tingling (anxiety) underneath his skin, and so he dragged his hands up and down Riki’s legs, trying to feel past fabric to the muscle underneath, up to the cock underneath. Riki was already so hard.

His hand stroked him through his pants, one hand squeezing his tip, while the other stroked the rest. One day, Riki will tell him that his big hands working him drove him wild. Of course, he was used to bigger hands than his on his person, but Iason was the biggest person he’s ever been with.

Hm. He just realized that.

Conversely, Riki was the smallest person Iason’s ever been with, including all past girlfriends. Hard to really take that fact home with an enormous dick in his face, or when a collar pulled him down to eye level.

Iason finally undid the zipper, kissing the bared skin right above the base, licking across the happy trail and the salt of his skin. He still tasted of soap. Steaming hot. Without an ounce of patience, Iason pulled of boxers and jeans and shoved them in the bag. By habit, he looked up at Riki as his lips wrapped around his master’s head.

A collective gasp passed as Iason pushed past the glans. His jaw protested a bit, as if saying that it needed a rest.

Though enjoying his third blowjob of the day, he could tell Iason’s mouth wasn’t ready for it. However, he would keep his promise and not do a thing. Unknowingly, a worried expression played out across his face, even as his pleasure mounted against the rasping tongue, hot breath, hot hands.

He couldn’t come just yet.

Iason leaned back, mouth aching, unable to keep up. A hand stroked his head. Do nothing? Of course, he’ll do something, just a little, sweet something here and there.

He pushed Riki onto the chair. With its width and high back, the chair engulfed Riki. He raised his arms to rest them behind his head.

Iason untied the simple straps connected to the toy, which he was now feeling quite keenly. With one hand between his legs and thrusting into himself, he used the rest of his body to explore Riki’s body.

“Mmm.” Riki closed his eyes to enjoy, goosebumps spreading as lips and tongue brought a left nipple to pert numbness, then the right, up and down the crease in his torso. The talented mouth went up to the dip in his throat, tonguing deep, as he swallowed, then past to the side to his ear.

Iason whispered, “Master,” licking the shell of his ear, nibbling on the lobe. Again, “Master.” Riki hummed in pleasure again.

Suddenly remembering that they had _sung_ together, Iason said, “You’re perfect.” His arms warming him up, “So perfect,” the red palm of his hands, “Riki,” all the careful planning, “Master,” all the new adventures, “Master,” and to the ones to come, “I want you inside me.”

Infinitely grateful that Iason didn’t touch his dick, Riki was about to lose it. Flipping Iason’s switch seemingly always came all at once, but this was reaching hypnotic levels. If Riki let himself go under, well, that would be a quick end to such a long, long buildup a week in the making. At least his eyes were closed. He could hear Iason rapidly fucking himself.

Luckily, before he could spend himself prematurely, Iason realized that maybe a dash of lube on Riki’s dick would be important. He dragged his mouth, full of Riki’s taste, down to kiss over his thigh, licking greedily at just his knee, flattening his tongue across it. No one’s ever done _that_ before; Riki’s eyes opened a smidge to see the brand new weak spot receive attention heretofore unreceived.

He swept one last look around them. A number of public masturbators, others giving or receiving, a lot of eyes.

None as beautiful as Iason’s, looking up as he spread a generous amount of lube.

Someone finally admitted aloud, “I wish I had a camera!”

“Me, too,” Riki answered, as entertaining as always. It may not reach porno levels of titillation, but it was enough.

Keeping the bottle of lube in one hand, removing the toy that had stretched him so well and putting it into yet another designated bag, and climbing atop his lap, Iason faced Riki.

Through both their minds came the intense feeling of _maybe not!_

Iason plowed through that feeling and grabbed Riki’s dick, raising his body over it, aiming.

Riki hurriedly thought of Jupiter in a bathing suit. He was close, like, breathe on his dick close.

The wet tip felt so much bigger so close to his asshole, and Iason breathed, breathed, _breathe!_ He slowly pushed downwards onto his hand. He felt himself tighten, willed himself to relax and move down in jerking motions, until the swollen head popped in completely.

Iason’s hole quivered with a multitude of involuntary spasms, so tight and wet, Riki clutched at Iason’s hips, nails digging in. His control slipped completely. He orgasmed with dizzying force.

Iason felt the pumps filling him up, genuinely surprised, fearing that this third time might have ended their fun, but that fear was quickly swept away as Riki hardened once more. His recovery bordered on nympho.

Someone said, “Iason did it. Congratulations!” Facetious applause surrounded them, and Riki buried his face into Iason’s chest. His pride was assuaged as Iason continued to thrust himself down as if his coming was just a matter of course.

Riki raised his hips upward, drawing out something of a squeal.

“That hurt?”

Iason shook his head. “Not at all. It just… Pushed me apart. Are you getting bigger?”

“My ego is.” He could feel Iason’s heartbeat, or was it his own? He couldn’t tell, only that he was on cloud nine. Is this what it felt like?

Iason asked himself the same question, pulling off to slather more lube, then sank back down. The tip pressed past his prostate, nearly knocking him unconscious. “So hot. You’re so hot inside me.” The glorious pleasure washed over him, and putting more and more of Riki’s length inside only compounded the ecstasy. “Master.” Riki had to push in more as Iason held onto control by the skin of his teeth.

“Almost there. You’re doing great.” Riki divided Iason’s attention to his nails scratching across his skin, stomach, back, front again to tug on his navel ring. It helped him not sit there boneless and useless.

Iason wished he would stop tightening up so much, for every squeeze he felt all the way up to the tugging on his ring, he felt that much closer to coming, and he felt that things would end very soon after. He nearly burst when Riki lifted his cock and balls to see the last inch go in.

There it was.

Last bit in.

All in.

Iason rested heavily directly on Riki’s thighs. Both sat there tense. Everyone remained quiet.

Almost simultaneously, they moved together in opposite directions, pulling away, each feeling the friction as intensely as the other. While Iason sank deep within his own mind, Riki pulled on his control, blowing a steadying breath, as he pushed Iason’s hips up. He wasn’t trying to lift him, and Iason did get the message, moving up, slowly dropping down.

Riki knew when he touched Iason’s prostate, tightness quivered every time.

“Can you go faster?” he asked, wanting to see Iason gone, gone from him fucking him deep enough and hard enough to scramble his brains.

Iason upped the pace, putting both hands on the chair for balance. Yet his legs could barely move. Just the slightest pressure struck like lightning, shocking him to stillness.

“Riki!” The harsh whisper silently begged him.

Riki wasn’t (yet) strong enough to lift him up and down, which is why he picked this large chair in particular.

“Up,” he ordered, making Iason stand. He had to take the deepest of breaths when he popped out, instead focusing on making sure Iason stayed on two feet.

Iason, feeling empty and wanting, let himself be pushed onto the weird-looking chair. Riki lifted his legs to his shoulders, and a helpful staff member handed over a pillow to be stuffed underneath his back. He only then came to terms with what Riki intended.

“Master, the chair-”

Riki thrusted inside him, fast. Pulled out, fast. The next push made him come.

Riki was under the impression Iason couldn’t possibly get any tighter.

“Iason!” He was moments away from telling him to calm down, before realizing that, one, that was stupid, and two, he didn’t really want that either. He covered his outburst with pulling Iason by the leash. The man had slid to the side and was at risk of falling off the chair.

 _He was still coming_.

No ejaculate accompanied his continuing spasms, despite how the first stripes were forced up to his chest. His face seemed scrunched with pain, with only him knowing just how amazing he felt.

Tears were wiggling at the corner of his eyes when he opened them. Riki kissed them, sharing their salty taste with Iason, waiting until he wrapped arms around his neck.

It was the signal to keep moving. He pulled back, all the way out. He reentered swiftly, holding himself straight, keeping his fingers in a ring against Iason’s opening. It was something he learned from reading an internet article on having sex with a large dick. Missing might mean thrusting straight into solid flesh wall. No, thank you.

But, goddamn, if it didn’t feel amazing.

Iason couldn’t even breathe. Every reentry he felt in his entire pelvic region, straight up his stomach. Riki refused to skimp on how deep he went. Only that crazy suit matched the all-encompassing rapture, except for pushing his skin to the limit, it was pushing his insides.

Sufficiently convinced that Iason’s hole was loose enough, his passage truly stretched with his member, Riki threw the leash across the back of the chair.

The fantasy of fucking an intense, brave person in the middle of an eager crowd can now be crossed off his bucket list.

Now to work with making that person come until he was begging for mercy.

“Nnngah!” All Iason damn work on keeping himself loose enough was destroyed with the new speed, a blinding speed, he believed, although it wasn’t any faster than how he was fucking himself with the toy before. “Fucking-” He swallowed. “Riki!”

“Riki?” A sadistic snarl curved his face. He went a bit faster, harder. “Riki?”

“D-Don’t-” Iason was about to say ‘don’t act all masterlike’, instantly realizing that, one, that was stupid, and two, he didn’t really want that. Instead he gave his own snarl, growling, “Yes. Riki.”

Several gasps of pleasure went unheard by the couple.

“Call me Master.”

Although Iason knew that he would feel this sex in his deepest dreams, he still shot back, “Make me.”

This cheeky bastard!

That just made things easy. Resting his knees only the slightest bit on the edge of the chair, Riki started to pound.

“G-God.” His whole body was quaking.

“Master is enough,” Riki quipped.

“Y-You wish. On both c-counts.”

Riki didn’t disappoint; he answered this saucy reply by changing his angle just a bit so that he could quickly, easily, harshly grind into and past Iason’s prostate. Nails scraped at Riki’s elbows, and it hurt in the kind of way that only added to the entire burning sensation coming from being sucked in and out of a tight ass.

 _Heaven_.

“You were saying?”

Iason couldn’t answer, and his closed eyes were unable to keep tears from falling, and if Riki didn’t have the leash wrapped tight around one wrist (don’t do this at home, folks), he wouldn’t have kept his body upright.

Out of nowhere, _someone_ (it was Lady Raven) dropped a circular mic around Riki’s neck, from behind. A tiny speaker appeared nearby. Not all heroes wore capes, obviously.

“Can’t hear ya.” Though Riki could hear tiny stifled whimpers, and he bet so could everyone else.

Blue eyes flashed open. “I was… Saying… Is that all… you got?” Iason ignored his amplified voice spreading through the building, concentrating on the mounting pleasure.

“Panting like a bitch in heat and you still talking shit?” Riki grabbed Iason’s cock. Iason merely gasped. “Forgot about this?”

He had. How? He had not the slightest clue, and he was faced with the fact that he was now on the side of ‘biting off more than he could chew’. His middle name.

Riki reached into his soul for composure as Iason came from just a few strokes. He let Iason soak in eye-rolling bliss for a few moments. Then he squeezed the base of Iason’s cock into a vise just as tight as the cock ring Iason wore earlier. He used his other hand to pump him, spreading cum and precum alike before using one of Iason’s hands, still doused with lube, to make him do it himself. In theory.

 “Oh, I see. You’re too _tired_ to call me Master. Can’t even move your hand.”

Yep. Definitely more than he could chew.

Riki started thrusting again.

Forget chew, he couldn’t even lick. Couldn’t think.

“Yea, just let _Master_ take care everything. You feel real good, don’tcha?”

Mindlessly, “Yes!”

“Yes, what?” Riki jerked off the tip of Iason’s dick with a blurring hand.

“Yes, Master! Goddamnit.” Riki let him go, just at the tip. The base he continued to keep trapped.

 “My cock’s going deep. You feel it?” Riki slowed down, for much his own sake as for teasing Iason. Why was he riling himself up? He was barely keeping any orgasms at bay as it was, yet he wanted to do his signature finish, with Iason literally unable to move. He needed it.

“Yes, Master! Don’t stop! Please, please.”

“You already came twice, and you want more?”

Iason nodded. His voice coming out watery and shaking, he pleaded, “Can you… Your hand… It’s…I can’t come.”

“I think you can.”

“I can’t!” There were arguments somewhere in his brain, but all Iason managed was, “I can’t, I can’t.”

“You can.” He leaned forward, licking around Iason’s ear, even as he jerked back and away, trying to protect what little sensitive areas he had left. Riki followed and clamped the ear between his teeth, chewed a bit, pulling it trough. “You’re fighting it.”

Noticing those words were an echo from before, Iason nodded to no one in particular.

Iason’s body melted; Riki could feel it just as it happened. He hadn’t come. His body merely stopped fighting as his mind relinquished its control on his pride, surrendering to the lusts he’s been exploring, surrendered to Riki’s touch, to Riki.

“Good.” Riki kept his hand tight, his hips quick. “Good, good.”

“Master! I’m…”

Riki slowed down again.

“Don’t! Please, don’t.”

“You want to come?”

Fuck, Riki nearly answered his damn self.

“Yes, Master, please.”

“How ‘bout I pull out and let you finish yaself off?”

As if believing him, Iason wrapped his legs and arms around him. He even bit him!

“I guess I have to give it to you, then.” If Iason mirrored his words…

“Yes! Give it to me!”

Those words nearly took Riki off the edge.

He did raise Iason off the chair bending him in half, not knowing, but Iason surely felt the difference as the angle and speed seemed to hit something much deeper. That deepness Riki did know, so, although Iason didn’t feel it (or realize it), when he thrust inside, he definitely didn’t go as deep as he could. That would be… messy... If done so quickly and hard. He wasn’t completely accurate.

Again, Iason was oblivious, hissing, “Yes, just, just like that, please.”

“Like this?” A bit faster, working Iason’s prostate as a piston. He might as well have be squeezing it in his hand. Iason couldn’t hold any tighter if he could, so close, and they both knew it.

“Master, I’m… Master?”

“That’s it, I’m right here.”

“C-C-Come?”

“Yea, I want to feel you come.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Come for me.”

Iason couldn’t even nod, for that was enough. Enough for him to come, with a loud shout, eyes shut, neck stretched. Yet, there was no lull in Riki’s hips, and he thrusted as fast and hard as he had been, and it was almost as if he hadn’t come at all. Except for the almost painful pulse of his cock still being squeezed.

“Come.” Iason’s was getting there. Finally, his mouth fell open. His body fell in line and shuddered to his command.

 _More!_ Riki mind screamed at him.

“ _Come._ ”

 _More?!_ Iason’s own mind screamed. His body obeyed. His wrecked face will fuel fantasies for decades, even though his mouth couldn’t keep in its saliva, his eyes cried freely, and even as he sniffed, trying to gain more air because his throat wanted to cry out more than breathe.

“Come!” Riki finally let his cock go, letting Iason know that the release wouldn’t release an iota of the pressure, but instead released what felt like spikes of pleasure straight into his brain.

“Good boy. Good boy, sit there and enjoy it.”

“I can’t… Can’t stop coming…” Weak arms pushed Riki on his chest, his head shaking from side to side.

If that was meant to stop Riki, it produced the direct opposite effect. Riki had his own deliriousness to rein in, because if they both passed out, that would be _lame._

Just Iason was fine.

He leaned forward, head trying to clear with his goal firmly set, to push Iason to the brink. “Then don’t. Don’t stop coming.” Riki could come at any time; he could hold himself back forever. At least he had that in his favor.

“I feel as if I’ll just start _screaming_.”

“Then scream.”

“I cannot believe it feels so good. It shouldn’t feel this good.”

“It should.”

“I will lose my mind.” Some voice told him he was being dramatic.

Riki’s voice said, “Lose it.”

His brain went to mush, and he very clearly whined in sharp voice, not screamed, but still his voice cracked, as his body peaked with all the feeling it could after such a day. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, couldn’t think. Only feel a deep-seated pleasure erode most of him. The burn of Riki’s come mixed in, his shaking, hear his own grunting through what could have been pain, for all he knew. Riki’s expression still strong and composed, Iason couldn’t see how he could be so calm. He did see Riki’s shining coal eyes burn hungrily. Noticing Iason had a bit of consciousness to him, he smiled, whispering, “I love you, Iason.”

 He thought, an unfortunate thing, really. He did nothing to deserve such love and devotion. Riki did.

“I love you, too, my darling master. My Riki.”

Iason was out before Riki closed the three inches of space between them to kiss.

Riki kissed his forehead, smiling at the jovial round of clapping from people who could clap. Certain others had tried to marathon as Iason had, and, well, Mr. Sandman was busy.

“You need help getting him to the rest area?” Lady Raven asked.

Riki felt a tug in the back of his head, honestly saying, maybe.

Out loud, he replied with his usual brilliant smile, “Naw, I got it.” Lady Raven nonetheless stood behind him.

Riki pulled out, standing on wobbly knees. The tug turned into a yank, and he murmured, “I don’t got it.”

Lady Raven caught him.

~~~

Iason came to from under a dark blanket that did little for warmth, but weighted on him quite comfortably. He looked over to see a child sleeping naked next to him.

He blinked a couple times in alarm before he realized the child was just Riki. From the sound, they were still in Building Six, in the rest area, very far from the continuing party in Building Seven, but within distance of couples losing themselves just as Iason had.

And, _apparently_ , Riki.

Of course, he didn’t have anything to record with, so he was forced to memorize with just his eye holes. Riki’s face was so round, lips so plump, eyebrows rather long, but with just enough thickness to make it cute. Plus they were jagged in a cool way.

His body started to warm up just looking at him. He let it, knowing it wouldn’t get to the point of arousal (he hoped).

Iason took Riki’s hand. It was little, but not ‘gelida’ in the least, still a bit swollen.

 _I love you, Iason_.

On his face, a small smile, but inwardly, a twelve-year-old girl from a cartoon romcom squealed. Then he said it back.

Riki woke as Iason repeated, “My Riki.”

He blinked a couple times, smiling at Iason, saying automatically, “My Iason. Wait.” He looked at the blanket, shooting up to read the rest area sign and look at the other people resting underneath weighted blankets. He fell back, covering his face with a blanket, reaching for a mic that wasn’t there.

“What’s wrong?” Iason asked. Iason looked in all the same places, seeing nothing wrong. He even touched his collar, still on tight.

“I passed out! Fucking lame!”

Iason squinted. “This is not _my_ first time.” At fainting, his already sore ass clarified.

“It’s cute when _you_ do it!”

“Well, it’s cute when you do it, too.”

Riki flipped back the covers. “You didn’t even see it.”

“I did, too.” Iason didn’t. “Lady Raven caught you just as you were about to fall to the floor.”

“Uuuuugh. I should have just let her help!”

Iason’s expression didn’t change the least bit to expose the fact that he just got really lucky at guessing who might have helped. He snuggled close, trying to command Riki’s attention away from any silly blemishes to his Dom pride, to him. Riki did wrap him close, also wanting to be held tightly.

“So,” Riki said, playfully tracing the edge of Iason’s collar. “Technically, the dare is over.”

Iason looked for a clock, finding one showing a little past midnight.

“Oh, no. However will we continue to be together?”

“I don’t know. I’m thinking maybe long walks on a beach.”

“Pina coladas?”

Together they said, “I wouldn’t mind one.”

Giggling with utmost silliness as they smiled at one another and they truly relaxed, knowing without saying that this was just the beginning. Riki leaned forward to rest his head on Iason’s arm. Iason further curled around him.

“But for now-”

“Yes.”

“Iason?” Riki had his eyes closed again.

“Yes?”

“Happy belated Valentine’s Day, and…. I really do love you.” Yea! He did it! Commitment, here he comes!

Iason paused, scaring the poor man a little, before squeezing Riki hard, loving the reinforcement, not doubting it in the least now. “Happy Valentine’s. I really do love you, too.”

 _It was love at first sight_ , they thought.

~Part One~

 

That morning, both Iason and Riki felt as if they had prepared for a presentation for an entire week and were now ready to show all that they’ve learned. A group project where everyone involved did their part. Riki got Iason’s invite as a card from Lord Robby, from whom Riki learned that a bit of a crowd may be present for his portion of the festivities, as there was the universal knowledge that Riki had the dick of a horse, and that Iason was on the higher end of attractive. _And_ submissive? People were drooling. He then had plenty of help acquiring a sweet leather set in Iason’s size.

For Iason’s part, he had already sent the results of his STD testing, having done it the morning(ish) after he was asked. He signed waivers there at Hot Crack- which he had trouble saying sometimes; it sounded filthy. Plus, Riki pumped Iason full of enough confidence that he truly believed he could do anything. He earned it.

Even after the exhausting day, their energy remained in full. Riki bathed together with Iason, covering him with soup suds, and helped him back into the bed to apply ointment to his burning ass, and his own hands. They talked over multiple things until it was time for them to leave to let the next renters in. As Iason needed more time to rest, Iason threw a few hundred bucks at the nearest hotel, which was in the middle of downtown, so that they could lie down on a bed and watch TV. The bed still paled in comparison to Iason’s, Iason made sure Riki knew.

They ended up watching porn and ordering room service, where Iason found a hair in his pasta and came close to going ballistic towards housekeeping, until Riki calmed him down with, “You know, I tried to go into the porn business?”

Pouting but definitely not pouting, Iason rolled his eyes.

“I’m serious. I just tried out for a local place. But they said I was too small. The only types of porn they were willing to put me in was the Lady Giant ones.”

“Lady Giant?”

“Where this big ass lady and this tiny ass guy go at it, and she’s flipping him all around. For some reason, the people into that love when the guy has a big dick.”

Iason had laughed, and Riki placed his plate of food out of sight.

“Do you know what kind of porn people would enjoy seeing me in?”

“The ones targeted towards women specifically, and the twink gay stuff.”

Iason protested, “Twink? Me?”

“Sorry, man, you’re way too pretty. If it makes you feel better, there is gay stuff targeted towards women, and you will definitely be a ‘top’ for them. You’re really tall.” Riki thought for a moment, going through the information he had searched after the searing humiliation of being too short for porn. “The best pay for you would be the gay stuff targeted towards women, and someone found someone bigger and beefier than you. And attractive, of course.”

“So specific.”

Riki shrugged into the pillow. “If it’s anything other than personal, it’s going to be about the money, and the money is specific.  Is there any more mozzarella sticks?”

They stayed together until Iason was ready to drive himself home; he still sped to the house and fell face-first into his lovely bed, remembering how, after watching more porn and a couple of movies, Riki learned Iason didn’t like spiders even digitally, and Iason learned Riki couldn’t do creepy dolls, and neither liked eyeballs getting poked, and yet both liked escape-room horror. They planned to meet the follow afternoon.

That plan changed Valentine’s morning, as Iason’s group planned to go to the Valentine’s Extravaganza and invited Riki’s group, which led to both groups realizing that Triple A was heavily involved in the Valentine’s Extravaganza, and that Triple O had planned an Anti-Valentine Valentine’s Extravaganza. The Thirteen made clear that the Triple A leadership was not in the works the previous year, and that the president, Sean, ordered them to make an appearance, saying that their membership was already in danger, and they wouldn’t want to jeopardize that further, would they? (They would.)

The entire plan had Riki saying that he would lead those that went to the Anti-Valentine Valentine’s to the Triple A gathering. It would be hilarious.

Riki sent Iason a private message separate from the enormous group message.

 _I have something for you. I meant to give it to you yesterday. Also. I have something to tell you, and you might be a_ wee _bit mad at me._

 _I’m sure I’ll be fine_.

Riki sure as hell hoped so. He wondered why Iason’s parents hadn’t said anything first, and he was _sure_ they hadn’t since Iason hadn’t come after his ass. Until he told Iason, he would enjoy the day! Said day was pretty warm for February, so he pulled on a cheesy red turtleneck that had a heart-shaped hole in the middle of his chest, boots with red shoestrings, and black pants. He had Mimea help retwist his hair up, then he convinced Guy to wear a red ribbon in his long hair to coordinate with his outfit, and for Katze and Cal to come, even though they hated the thought of such a large gathering full of red and happiness and love.

Iason took a bit of a longer time to pick out his clothing, running his outfits by Raoul (who had his clothing planned a week in advance, including shedding layers at the chance of warmer weather). For the first time, Iason took longer than Gideon and Ruphias getting dressed, which made them giddy and eager to help- as Raoul snuck out.

In the spirit of the season, Gideon, Ruphias (by then, Leon, Hubert), had Iason don a long-sleeved pink sweater with a high-ish collar and a heart-shaped protrusion in the middle, and, after energetic encouragement, which some might call peer pressure, he pulled on a pair of jeggings and black flats.

“You’re comfortable with your masculinity, aren’t you?” Aisha had said from the door.

“Of course I am.” Plus, it was fucking comfortable on his injured flesh.

“Then let’s put on just a little bit of gloss!” Leon was already pressing some onto his lips.

“Oh my fucking god! We’re just going on campus! Not the Oscars!” Marcus screamed from downstairs. “Can we just go?!”

Zeke’s deep voice could be heard from the same place: “He has to look pretty for Riki.”

“They are already fucking! He obviously thinks he’s attractive!”

“That’s why you can’t keep a girl.”

“Hear that, Iason? Zeke’s calling you a girl!”

Leon poked his tongue out. “Ignore them. Riki will notice and he’ll be all sexy about it, too. I wish he was my boyfriend.”

Ruphias blinked slowly. “Leon. You’re straight.”

“I know! Crazy, huh?” Leon’s mouth dropped open. “Maybe I’m gay?”

After another fifteen minutes, they were finally ready. Marcus’ double-take at Iason made the man smile victoriously.

Zeke hit him on his ass.

“Fucking hell! Zeke!”

His ass still hurt!

Eyebrow lifted, Zeke’s hazel eyes narrowed. “Riki the type to spank you while you’re in the middle of it?” he joked, smiling toothily.

“So what if he is?” Iason flipped his hair over his shoulder and handed his keys to Raoul.

“Wait. Are you serious?”

Across campus, Riki’s morning start already had him in the middle of rousing Triple O to crash the school’s official Valentine’s party. They had planned to take over the Recreational Building’s three gyms. The plan worked until school security came to tell them that they weren’t allowed to be there in such a large number for much longer- which was perfect for Riki’s and the rest’s plans. The insane number of people brought everything from televisions for games and karaoke, to basketballs to badminton sets, to even card and board games. All mobile enough to take to the Commonwealth Symposium where the Extravaganza was hosted.

Riki had grabbed one of the mikes for the karaoke machine, and although he did enjoy the yell of the crowd for him to sing, and he definitely planned to later, he announced, “Okay. Two things, y’all. The popos say all o’ us can’t stay here.”

“Boooo!”

“Hey, hey, they just doin’ they jobs. Two! Turns out there is a lot of room over there in Commonwealth!”

The cheering exemplified across all three gyms, open and connected one to another.

“So, let’s clean up real sharp here and take a little walk!”

He sent Iason the update.

“They are coming,” Iason told his friends.

“Good. This is lame,” Griffith grumbled, roaming a bored eye across the stands of the Commonwealth Symposium, usually used for Commencements, graduations and school-wide programs. That being that it is, only Triple A could even come close to reserving the building.

All their money and self-indulgence and self-importance couldn’t attract a half-decent crowd that knew how to have fun. Lame was a nice word for the couple dozen Triple A members and their girlfriends and some friends, including the members of the Student Government Association, standing around, mostly on phones.

The Thirteen were off to the side in the stands, sitting down almost immediately at seeing the crowd, or rather the lack of one. There were thousands of seats mechanically controlled to change from seats, to stands, into more floor. The sides were stands at the moment, the middle proper completely floor, reaching a stage. Apparently, Sean was in charge of music and video, all connected to a high-end projector, and was playing what sounded like Russian rap from his connected laptop. There was just his music playlist on the projector at the moment.

“Instead of having Triple O come here,” Marcus advised, “let’s go there and avoid these assholes.”

“Hey, Iason, Chad is here,” Orphe taunted.

Iason gave a cursory glance downwards, seeing Chad and Sean and multiple others in popped collars standing around looking at Sean’s phone on the stage. Then, all of sudden, they all looked up at the Thirteen, looked at the phone, and laughed loud enough for them to hear all the way from up in the stands.

“I don’t like that. What are they looking at?”

“Something hilarious, apparently,” Raoul murmured from his phone. Once more, he was playing poker.

From where they sat, Chad made a pose, legs bowing out and his hands coming up around his head.

“Is he looking at some pinup?” Gideon asked no one in particular.

Iason sharply gasped. “Oh. Oh. No. There’s no way.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!”

“What the hell-”

Iason called Riki immediately. He heard first a multitude of cheerful and excited voices, and then, “Shush, y’all, it’s Iason,” which only served to make the voices even more cheerful and excited, adding lurid jeers and whistles.

Marcus said woefully, “They sound like they are having fun just walking! Look, Gideon, I’ll talk to your dad. Let’s fucking dump Triple A.”

Aisha asked with a side-eye, “What about Iason’s dad?”

“I’ll write him a seven-page essay on the pros and cons of Triple A.” A pause. “And say it was Iason’s idea.”

Through his friends’ laughter Iason demanded of Riki, “Riki. You know how you took a few videos and photos of me?”

Riki cleared his throat first. “Uh, so, you see-”

“Yes or no will suffice.”

“Yaaarp.”

“And you told me you have something to tell me.”

Riki answered in a high-pitched, “Mm-hm!”

“That wouldn’t have anything to do with Sean somehow having access to those photos and videos?”

“Not _Sean_. But-”

Iason exclaimed, “So someone else?!”

“Let’s wait until we’re face-to-face, maybe?”

“Maybe not! Maybe I want to talk while we’re phone-to-fucking-phone!”

Someone outside of their conversation cried out, “Riki! Clementine says she saw Kirie in the cafeteria!”

Riki said quickly, “Iason, I gotta go. I’ll be there in a minute. Don’t let nobody get to you!” He hung up, praying a semi-serious prayer to whichever god or goddess or multi-sexed deity was listening. Why did Iason talk about Sean? Did that mean Sean had everything too? But that didn’t help clarify who and how someone got to his phone!

Not like his latest guest was exonerated: no one had been able to contact Kirie since the sleepover Thursday night. His phone had a weird message of the line apparently being disconnected, and Cal told them he had not been in the dorm. Out of all of them, everyone kind of knew Kirie could be a bit shallow, a bit of an asshole, willing to use underclassmen for mean jokes and the like, but he seemed to have changed once entering college. He had his own set of friends, even, that he hung out with in lieu of Riki and the rest.

Even if he did hang out his friends to dry, it definitely wouldn’t be in order to help Triple A and revenge porn some random guy.

Right?

Signaling for the large crowd to keep walking, he and Kirie’s supposedly close friends walked up to the windows allowing vision into the cafeteria. From there, Riki could see Kirie definitely talking on a phone.

Uncharacteristically heated, Cal hissed, “That’s a new phone! Ah, no.” He sighed. “I have something to tell you, Riki.”

Riki let out a low, humorless laugh. “You caught Kirie on my phone?”

“That’s… Somewhat it. How do you know?”

“When?”

Cal glared through the window. “Thursday night. I saw him putting what looked like your phone in your pants. I had thought he just moved it from the floor into your clothes so that you wouldn’t forget it.”

Riki nodded. “But then he ghosted. If I hadn’t had no plans, I’ll be in there. Fucking him up.”

“What did he do?”

At that moment, Kirie looked their way. He dropped his new phone onto the floor in surprise. Riki, joined by the others, waved exuberantly at him. The man snatched up his phone and began running towards the back exits.

“C’mon. I can guess where he’s going.”

Riki promised himself (and then Guy, multiple times, after he gave a short explanation) that he would keep it together. No one was going to ruin this day for him and Iason. No matter who had videos or pictures of what. He had nothing to be ashamed of, and neither did Iason. Plus, it seemed like everyone already had seen everything.

Except for his friends, and Iason’s, although Iason was now finished talking to them about the problem.

So, of course, now Raoul was in the middle of an incensed lecture.

“AND NOW THE ENTIRE FRATERNITY IS LAUGHING AT YOU. THEY’VE HAD A FUCKING PLAY-BY-PLAY OF YOUR ENTIRE RELATIONSHIP. WHAT DID I TELL YOU? WHY HAVE YOU NOT LEARNED FROM YOUR PAST? THE RISKS YOU’VE TAKEN?”

Raoul took a breath.

“AND I’VE BEEN TELLING YOU THIS ALL ALONG, RIGHT? WHY CAN’T YOU LISTEN TO ME? YOU THINK HE WON’T HOLD THIS OVER YOUR HEAD? OUR HEADS?”

“Our?” Orphe blew a raspberry. “You think I’d lose out on anything just because Iason’s dumb ass can’t keep his sexting under wraps?”

“We didn’t sext,” Iason murmured.

“REALLY? IASON? REALLY?”

Leon told them all, “Sean seems to be waving you down.”

Gilbert leaned over to whisper loudly to Orphe, “He’s coming down for the Price Is Right. How much do you think Sean is going to exhort out of him?”

Iason sighed, standing to yield himself to fate. At that exact time, he received a text from Riki: _If you see Kirie, stop him from talking to anyone in Triple A. I think he’s the one to spread your photos to Jupiter and the police._

_JUPITER AND THE POLICE?!_

_C U SOON!_

“What is it?” Raoul demanded. Before Iason could say ‘nothing’, his phone was snatched by his best friend. “Kirie? Isn’t that one of our new friends? Wait- Jupiter and the police already know? What the fuck is going on?”

“I’ll see if I can get anything close to an answer,” Iason reassured, knowing for certain Raoul would not be reassured. Hell, Iason wasn’t any better. He could understand Sean and even Jupiter going through Kirie to get to Riki’s phone, but would that mean that they knew Kirie was a weak link and that he could get what they needed? How would they know that?

Iason didn’t want to think about this, not on this fantastic day! Still, he stood before Sean, more annoyed than scared. Sean, Chad, and the rest of those assholes grinned and generally eyed him as some sort of dunce complete with the cap.

Or a piece of meat.

“So, how much money do you want?”

Sean’s eyebrows creased a bit, perplexed by his words. “What are you talking about? You should have… Ohhhh, Jupiter told you to pay me, too?”

Too? So Jupiter paid him? Then how did Kirie fit in? And the police?

In any case, there was nothing worth noting here with Sean. “You know what, fuck it. It doesn’t matter.”

“It’ll matter soon. You might want to change your clothes, Mrs. Mink, after all of it.”

“Why? Your dick getting hard at the sight of me?”

A chilling, dry voice from behind him admonished, “My, the work of the impure is quick.” Iason slowly turned to see Jupiter. He didn’t say anything, like _get the fuck out_ or the like, for he knew that the restraining order still allowed Jupiter to do her duties as dean, even if that meant being close to Iason. However, talking to him like this pushed the envelope.

“Don’t you agree, Sean?” Jupiter asked, sliding past Iason in her grey pantsuit.

“I agree, Dean Jupiter. Although, I’m sure kissing your feet made him cleaner.”

Jupiter’s head nodded, although she didn’t look Sean’s way at all, answering, “Yes. He can clean his mouth on my shoes.”

Again, Sean seemed confused, as he asked softly, “He hasn’t done it, yet?”

“Not just yet, no. Iason. I’m sure you would like to talk to me after all that’s happened. Let’s see if we can find some terms to agree upon.”

Iason realized a disconnect on the details of what happened between not only Iason and the rest of Triple A, but Sean, Riki and Jupiter as well. It did give him strong satisfaction that Jupiter seemed none the wiser. So he followed her to the edge of the stage, off to the side from anyone who could hear their talking terms.

She looked him over, from head to toe, and Iason expected to shake with repulsion, but the only thought in his head was that his friends thought he looked good, and so would Riki and his friends. Jupiter’s opinion simply factored in none. He placed a hand on his hip defiantly.

“Look how far you’ve fallen. Dressed like a tranny, excuse my language.”

“You’re excused,” Iason replied, the flippant response, which used to be common and joking, now held utmost sarcasm.

He saw an eyebrow of hers twitch. Another swipe of her eyes. “Well,” she finally said, “I suppose I’ll start. I’ll accept Riki’s reapplication back into Tanagura University this fall semester.”

So.

She and Sean believed Riki had been expelled in some way. Why did they think that? What’s more, how come they didn’t seem to know the truth?

Unless part of what Riki needed to talk about was that he had been expelled from school?

“In exchange for what?” Iason needed to see the cards at play so that he could plan his next move.

“Sean plans to show everyone in the Symposium something. Or should I say ‘some things’. I can tell him to not do that. Also.”

“More?” Iason spat incredulously.

Jupiter paused for just a second before replying, “Yes, more. I don’t care how, but get rid of Triple O.” Her jaw clenched minimally. “It seems Riki was just as infatuated with you as you are with him, seeing as he let himself get expelled. Of course, after meeting your parents, it isn’t hard to be convinced that there is no winning against them. They are surprisingly well with money despite their lineage.”

Parents? Parents?! Riki met his parents? If he was still in one piece, that meant Daddy liked him!

That means his parents saw the pictures?!

“You seem surprised. I suppose Riki hasn’t spoken to you since yesterday and you have no idea why he’s disappeared. Well, he’s been plainly told not to get caught on campus or be arrested for trespassing.” Blinking slowly, Jupiter sighed with what seemed like relief, if she ever worried about anything in the first place. “You should be grateful that this is the extent of my requests, as I’m sure you know I can demand much more.”

“I know. And I’ll think about it.”

The shock on her face floored Iason. She just didn’t emote in that way; she planned things far enough ahead that she never needed to be shocked from any angle. Her following silence stayed for a while as she stared at him, as if willing him to say something she had planned for him to say with psychic energy.

Finally, she told him, “Sean will be sharing erotic recordings of you in front of everyone here. Everyone in Triple A will be watching, including prestigious members of other clubs. You will be humiliated, and then Sean will oust you from the fraternity.”

“And?”

Her hands shook just the barest bit. “Triple A is your father’s fraternity. He will be devastated. They forced Riki from campus to avoid just this very thing. You wouldn’t want to disappoint them, would you? Make them waste their efforts? Keep Riki from you? Your mother even begged me to keep Sean on a tighter leash. She refused to thank me for my services, of course, but why would anyone of her status be expected to know what good services looked like?”

The entirety of Jupiter’s plan started to form in Iason’s mind.

His expression must have changed for the worse for Jupiter raised her head. “Who would have thought that having a mole among those wretched rats would yield so much progress?”

That tied it all up.

Kirie had been a spy long before Iason showed up. Most likely, after Sean was given Iason’s clothes from Professor Jones, Sean went simpering up to Jupiter. Either Sean or Jupiter demanded Kirie to find blackmail material, and he found them, gave them up. Jupiter contacted police and parents, who confronted Riki. The last bit was a little vague, but it seems both groups let Riki either go free or be expelled. Iason guessed more on Riki being let go. Although Riki seemed able to hide _many_ important matters, Iason didn’t think he had it in him to pretend that his career aspirations were set back so devastatingly.

Plus, it would be just like Mother to have Jupiter by the nose when given the ripe opportunity.

The next stage of Jupiter’s plan was to get Iason under her thumb, and Triple O out of her hair. She planned to use his love for his father, loyalty to his parents’ plans, his sudden ‘infatuation’ with Riki, completely against him.

It felt unbelievably good to ruin all that.

Iason smiled. “Like I said,” he remarked smoothly, “I’ll think about it.”

He savored her look of disbelief before walking off.

He then texted Riki: _Tell me the truth. Have you been expelled?_

Quickly: _Uh, no. y?_

_It seems Sean and Jupiter are working together under the assumption that you’ve been expelled. Through my parents and the police._

_So u kno about everything._

_I’m trying to get a clearer picture. Jupiter is trying to blackmail me with those photos and you._

_My take is, ya mama lied to her for sags._

_Sags?_

_Shits and giggles lol. And that would explain y Kirie ran away when he saw us. He must b thinking the same thing. I’ll be there and we can see if we can come 2uh understanding with those damn pictures._

“Hmph,” Iason murmured to himself.

_They can show them._

_U sure? Are you sure about that? Super sure?_

_Yes. I have nothing to be ashamed of. They are watching of their own volition, which says a lot more about them than it does about me._

_Still. I’ll be there soon._

_Then, thank you._

Iason hurried back to the stands, excited to see Jupiter’s face when the large crowd of Triple O barged in like a parade, if the sound of their voices was anything to judge by.

Riki let it spread throughout the ‘parade’ that Sean was doing revenge porn. After assuring several women of the crowd that it wasn’t them, the group settled on ‘having Riki’s back’ and, by extension, having Iason’s. It made Riki feel a lot better, less murderous. Also, from his point of view, as long as he never saw Kirie’s fucking traitorous face again, he wouldn’t have to worry about his private life being shared.

He kept up a cheerfully brave face right up the immense steps of the Commonwealth, and across the ballroom-like main lobby. If anyone saw his face as he stepped through the gigantic doors leading to the main hall, they would have believed he intended on blowing up the planet. No wonder, as the first thing he saw as his eyes swiped the floor was Kirie being held by the forearms by Zeke and Griffith.

His eyes drifted to Iason.

Anyone seeing Riki now would know he had been struck by Cupid’s strongest arrow. He saw nothing but Iason, not Sean’s fury, nor Jupiter’s raised hands as she grasped the air in complete shock. He didn’t even see Leon and Gideon giving each other a high-five, or how Luke quickly separated from the pack to say his personal greeting to the latter Blondie. Unfortunately, he also missed Orphe’s genuine, yet reluctant smile between the two of them, or Gilbert’s confident snarl as he watched Jupiter stomp over to Sean, looking as if she was two seconds from blowing her top.

When he was in arms’ distance, Riki pulled Iason close, dragging his hands over the soft material of sweater and jeggings, feathering his hands over Iason’s bottom to hold underneath his thighs.

“How are you feeling?” he asked Iason, noticing a bit of glittery shine on his lips.

Letting his arms rest on Riki’s shoulders, he answered, “I’m feeling fine. How are you?”

“A lot better. You are looking scrumdiddlyumptious.”

“As usual, you’re very handsome. It seems our shirts are made for each other.”

Hubert sighed. “He has a heart and you have a heart-hole. How romantic!”

“Or coincidental. It is Valentine’s,” Raoul said sourly, glaring at Riki. “Between the two of you, I will have an aneurysm.”

Riki grinned, giving Raoul a pat on the shoulder before pulling him nearer Guy. “Y’all should start a therapy group!” He took the smack on his head in stride.

Then he turned to Kirie, all signs of mirth completely gone.

Iason told him, “Apparently he’s been spying on Triple O for a long time.”

“Is that right?” Riki wasn’t clarifying. “How long?”

Kirie shrugged as best he could while being held down as he was. “What does it matter? It’s your fault for taking stupid pics.”

“You fucking-”

Guy pressed a hand to Riki’s chest, as he had already made two steps in Kirie’s direction, telling Kirie softly, “Do you realize what you’ve done, Kirie?”

Another shrug, although he could not defiantly look Guy in the eye as he did Riki. “Like I said, Riki got himself expelled on his own. It’s not my fault Iason’s mom and dad pressed charges.”

“You got expelled!” several voices exclaimed, asked, or demanded based on their tone of voice.

Riki smiled. “I’m not.”

Kirie rolled his eyes. “Still acting like a big man on campus, even while you’re fuckin’ trespassin’. Too good for the rest of us, and for what, because you know a few gimmicks and can tell a couple of good jokes?”

“Oh!” Leon voiced cheerfully. “You betrayed your friends because you were jealous of Riki!”

“I ain’t jealous of no one, you fucking retard!”

Zeke slowly raised Kirie’s arm into a chicken wing position. “Call him that again, and I will break your arm. Then I’ll pay for your hospital bills and make sure nobody gives you painkillers, you fucking get me?”

“It’s not my fault he’s like that! Stop pullin’!”

“Nothin’ is eva yo’ fault, Kirie,” Mimea chided, an accent coming in strong from her anger- making Riki realize just how fare Kirie’s betrayal went. “And now you’ve fucked things up for yo’self fo’ a bunch o’ boys that ain’t eva gonna treat you as equal.”

“And Riki did? He is always doin’ tings- damn it. He is always doing things that ruins chances for the rest of us!”

“What chances?”

“Like for us to join a fraternity, a real one! Get ahead! Make connections! Get real money!”

“Are… Are you serious?” Luke raised his sunglasses to reveal one clouded eye and the sleepy-lidded eye of the other. “You think now you gon’ have connections and money? They gonna use you dry and then hang you up twice as so.”  

Kirie scoffed. “I already have a new car and phone. And Jupiter’s working on getting me a house so I don’t have to be in those stupid dorms with fuckin’ Cal. The most boring person on Earth who don’t have no time to spend wit’ li’l ol’ me!”

Cal watched Kirie silently.

“Still too good to say anything?”

“You never could understand that I never wanted what you wanted,” Cal told him, eyes drawn. “I never understood why you took it so personally. It seems you are fueled by your own sense of inadequacy.”

Kirie shouted, “I’m not inadequate!”

At this purposeful misunderstanding, Cal walked away. Mimea followed him, pulling him into her arms.

It was then Iason made it clear that he had called someone on the phone, and that person answered and now spoke on speaker. Iason had the phone up and generally in the middle of their group, showcasing the caller ID of ‘Mother’: “Iason? Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Mother. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Actually, I was awaiting your call. I sincerely hope the topic is what I was expecting.”

“That Jupiter is unaware that you lied to her about Riki being expelled?”

Eris’ twinkling laugh had several people coming closer to hear better, eyes rapt on Iason’s phone. Even Kirie, despite the bad news, watched with wide eyes as he realized the extent of his problems.

“Is she still unaware?”

“She is.”

“And Sean?”

“Also unaware.”

Another triumphant laugh and Eris asked, “Where are you? Are you in the position of recording her reaction when she finds out?”

Iason swallowed. He pulled onto the courage he felt surrounded by real friends. And a lover. “I’m not sure about letting her know completely. We’re in Commonwealth and she’s… threatening to show… certain… things…”

“Oh? Whatever do you mean, darling?”

Iason smiled, quite relieved. “I think you know what I mean, dear Mother,” he answered through the grin.

Still teasing, she answered with a feigned air, “You know, Iason, if you wanted a career in the adult industry, I would never have stopped you.”

“Thank you, Mother,” Iason replied dryly to the chuckles of his friends.

“And it says a lot more about them that they want to spread it around. More than what it says about you.”

“That’s what Iason said!” Sid called.

“Ah?” Eris let out. “Who was that?”

“That’s Sid. A friend, through Riki.”

From the background, Apollo screamed, “Which of his friends was the little rat?!”

Eris chided, “It could still be one of the boys,” her voice muffled as she perhaps turned around to talk.

Riki informed her, “It wasn’t one of them. It was a friend of mine. He got a phone, a car, and a house out of it.”

Apollo sounded closer as he growled, “And an ass-kicking! What’s his name?”

As the Blondies quickly shook their heads in warning, Iason interrupted, “It seems he’s been acting on Jupiter’s behalf long before I arrived. I was just his big break to getting more than adequate rewards.”

“You mean he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing? For how long?”

Everyone turned to Kirie, who remained petulant and silent.

Iason warned him, “Do you want me to give Daddy your name? I assure you, you don’t.”

“Daddy?” several people voiced.

“Fine! It doesn’t matter.” Kirie shrugged off the hands on his arms and Zeke and Griffith finally released him. “Since Riki started the Triple O shit.”

“That’s,” Daryl started, “that’s basically the three weeks of Freshman Orientation. Before school even started.”

“Yea! When Riki was denied and some other people, I was like, instead of being all prideful and stupid, I was smart, let them know I knew the pecking order, told them about that stupid Triple O stuff. They said I could be an honorary member if I helped them break up Triple O.” He nodded as if sure of every word.

“Well. You failed. Triple O still exists. Everyone knows you’re a backstabber, so you’re now useless to Triple A. Shortly, Sean and Jupiter will realize Mrs. Mink lied, and Riki still belongs on campus. What are you going to do now?”

Kirie’s heterochromatic eyes fluttered, looked left, looked right, and a slow despair spread across his brow and mouth. Finally, he whispered, “I don’t know.”

“I think it will behoove you to remove yourself from Tanagura,” Gilbert advised. At Kirie’s even more disastrous look, he amended, “But that may be a little much since you failed in such a grandiose way. How about this? You somehow convince Sean and Jupiter that we have forgiven you. Most likely due to Guy’s and Mimea’s help, since, from your facial expressions, you are closer to them than the rest. Of course, make it clear that Riki and Iason want to rip you limb from limb. Make yourself a continued asset willing to be used.”

“Why…Why are you telling me this?”

Gilbert made a thin smile. “So that you can be _of use_ to us.” He pressed strands of his hair behind an ear. “It was simply a matter of luck Riki enjoyed taking pictures of Iason. If you didn’t know of his habits, any of us Thirteen would have been a target, isn’t that right?”

Kirie slipped a look at Iason. “Yea… Yea… Actually…Uh…”

“What?” Gilbert smile thinned even further.

“I sent copies of you and Orphe’s messages to Jupiter. Most all of you. I couldn’t get into Leon’s phone.” A slow breath from the Blondies had Kirie stepping away. “She wanted to know if any of you could be of use to her!”

“How much?”

“The program I use... It put all of your history and continues to send any updates. So if you texted Orphe this morning, she could read it.”

Orphe stood. “Fuck him being of use to us. I say we Uber him to Mr. Mink’s doorstep.”

“No! As long as you don’t send anything dumb, it doesn’t matter,” Kirie protested.

“I shouldn’t have to police my words for some bitch who should not even be here! Stop escaping accountability!”

Kirie shook his head. “It’s not my fault. If you would just do what she would say, nothing bad would happen.”

The wind went out of Orphe. He sat down, plucking his long eyelashes in a nervous gesture.

In a similar tone, Gilbert waved Kirie away. “You’re useless. Go away before we watch Griffith break your arm and tell the authorities you slipped.”

At this break for freedom, Kirie watched for his former friends, and saw the angry faces of those whose trust he had broken irreparably. When far enough away, he tap-tap-tapped down the stands to where Jupiter and Sean were. It was obvious that they both turned on him as he raised his hands as he spoke.

“My. What an unpleasant little man,” Eris said. “It’s funny that he feels less than subpar compared to Riki and then proves in the next breath why he is subpar.”

“Pathetic and naïve,” Apollo grumbled. “I will get his name. He’ll probably be the only boy with more than a tan around Jupiter.”

Eris spoke soothingly, “Let’s not threaten children. Oh, it’s almost time for our reservation. We will talk to you all-”

“Wait! I am expecting an apology.”

Iason gasped. “What have I done?”

“No, not you, Son, you can never do anything wrong.”

Very, very quiet grumbles of dissent from the Thirteen passed.

Apollo’s voice rose, “No! From your little boyfriend!”

“What has Riki done?”

“He said that I was mad that his dick is bigger than mine!”

In the teasing way Riki has now learned to fear, Eris told him, “His penis is much bigger than yours, and, from what I recall, you don’t like how big he is.”

“Whose side are you on, Eris?”

“Your side of course. You know how I’m just so frightened of snakes, and you said Riki possessed an anaconda.”

Griffith whispered, “Is he really that big?” Riki’s friends, and Iason, nodded their heads. “I wanna see!”

“Just borrow his phone!” Apollo seemed to be getting closer…

“Alright, alright.” There was a patting sound from the phone. “We have reserved this table and we will not miss it, right? Riki will be happy to come over for Spring Break and apologize to you face-to-face. Right, Riki?”

Riki sucked in his lips for the most comical expression. “I think… Uh… I got plans for Spring Break.”

“Oh? So I suppose Iason won’t be coming home until Easter?”

“That ain’t what I-”

“Iason IS coming home for Spring Break and no little boy will keep him away!”

Iason lifted the phone, a finger ready to hang up. “Don’t worry, Father-”

Riki hissed quickly, “Please call him Daddy.”

“Daddy, don’t worry. I’ll be home soon. Have fun at L’Arachel’s. I love you both!”

“I love you, too, Iason,” Eris answered with love. “And you, too, Riki.”

Automatically, Riki answered, “Love you too, Mrs. Mink.”

Mr. Mink’s outraged, “WHAT?” was cut short by Iason’s finger falling on the red disconnect button.

“Iason.” Riki fell to his knees before him. The Blondie was already laughing, knowing Riki was about to be ridiculous, joined by the others in his expectations. “Please tell yo’ mama to stop setting me up. One o’ these days, me and yo’ dad are gone be alone, and I want to survive with my bones intact.”

Running his fingers through Riki’s twists, Iason promised, “I’ll tell her to ease off. But she so does love riling Daddy up like that. Still. You truly have nothing to worry about as long as you treat me right. And stop falling for Mother’s traps.”

“Easier said than done!”

“You have to be on the defensive,” Marcus told him, face completely serious and making everyone laugh harder. “You have to expect that anything she says can be turned against you. And don’t look her in the eye. If she sees that you are admiring her in any way, that’s when she goes in for the attack.”

“Alright, treat her like Medusa.”

“Oooh, I’mma tell Mr. Mink you called Mrs. Mink Medusa!” Leon joked cheerfully.

Riki crawled over to him. “Please. If you have any mercy in your soul.”

Their silliness was cut short as a cheer went up from the floor, a cheer that was quickly overpowered by withering boos. Sean had ascended the stage alone, with Jupiter standing off to the side, now joining several other faculty members, a couple deans, a bunch of teachers. Several other members of Triple A, including the honorary members Isaiah and Kirie, stood around mostly smiling, with some of them waving taunting greetings towards Riki, Iason and the rest.

Sean spoke into the podium’s microphone, “I want to say thank you to all the guests that has come to Alpha Alpha Alpha’s Valentine’s Extravaganza!” Polite clapping ensued amid a stark lack of noise from what had to be at least a thousand people. “It seems there are some party-crashers here but that will not stop the party, now will it, guys?” Sean turned behind him, where he had more stalwart support.

He continued, “Unfortunately, I have received word that some of the members- or should I say ex-members, have not been behaving correctly. In fact, it’s less about correct behavior and more about what we consider as moral behaviors. What’s more, they seem to have further lost themselves into darkness by teaming up with people barely following campus law. Those people, a lot of you might be surprised to find, have a side to them that has been hidden for years. Mainly, the egotistical leader of Triple O. I feel it is my duty to show how-”

“Wait,” Jupiter intervened, coming up the stairs.

“It’s almost impressive how they have amended the script to deal with unforeseen complications,” Iason said sourly.

Jupiter stood to the side of the podium, but her voice was clear: “I think we should let the members speak for themselves. I’m sure there are…. Terms… That at least Iason could clarify.” Both Jupiter and Sean looked up at them. “What do you say, Iason?”

Letting his voice carry, Iason answered with all the pleasure of a lottery winner. “I have no terms to clarify!’ he shouted, wondering how the shaking in his body didn’t carry to his voice. “Follow your duty, Sean, as much as you like.”

“I have more than pictures of you, Iason! I have some of Riki, Mimea, Sid, and your own buddies! You think Isaiah dated Gideon because he was pretty?”

“Wha-What?” Gideon voiced.

“It’s kind of impressive that Gilbert could find two men to do him at the same time, though.”

Gilbert pressed a nail between his teeth, seething.

Sean pulled Kirie forward. Here, the booing became angry, threatening. People began throwing containers of popcorn, surrounding the popcorn maker from the Rec Center for more. Ignoring all of that, Sean went on with a smile, “It was thanks to his skills that we got to the bottom of the depravity that goes on between those men. You see what too much money does to you.”

“Goddamnit.” Iason pressed a hand to his forehead, yelling out, “What are your terms?”

“Same as before,” Jupiter answered.

“What’s that?” Gilbert demanded of Iason, who turned around to answer.

“She wants me to make sure Triple O is no more.”

Riki nodded. “Alright, we can do that, easy.”

“Actually,” Jupiter called, finger pressed to her bottom lip in what was supposed to be a feigning wonder, “It’ll be much harder for you to _explain_ those terms if Riki is always nearby. I think it should take the _rest of the year_ for an adequate explanation.”

“Goddamnit. Why did she have to get greedy?” Gilbert spun his hair through both sets of fingers. “No deal.”

Riki whispered, “Are you serious?

“No video of me is worth you getting suspended over.”

“I’ll survive. Jesus, it’s just a few months. It’s not worth it.”

“Please,” Gideon now said, eyes narrow and cold. “She’ll be blackmailing us for the rest of our college years. She’s not just trying to break you and Iason up, she’s trying to break everyone up. It’s driving her crazy seeing us with all of you.”

Although nervously biting her lip, Mimea added her voice to agree, “For some reason, Triple O is drivin’ her crazy. Why does it matter to her what we do?”

“She hates how much more popular Triple O is,” Aisha answered. “Triple A is three generations deep, and now Triple O came in and just destroyed all of that in a matter of a few weeks, that became months, and will probably last the rest of the year.

“I hate the thought that she has what I think she has of me, but it’ll be like ripping off a bandage. The sooner we do it the better.” He sighed. “My parents are going to kill me.”

Riki spread his hands for attention. “Alright, who here has something they don’t want to share, never, ever their entire lives. I’m telling you, I can take a suspension. Y’all can deal with whatever Jupiter has in store when y’all get to that bridge, but for now, don’t do something you would regret. Sid?”

Hoping for Sid to be the word of reason, Riki found it was for naught as he shook his head firmly. As he passed his gaze across his friends old and new, he found the loyalty which foundation had been so recently shaken. He couldn’t help but smile, touched.

He even said, “I’m real fuckin’ touched. Okay, Iason, I guess… Damn, I guess we’re good.”

“I will not be taking the _rest of the year_!” Iason informed her.

“Look at her face!” Leon cheered.

Jupiter’s face fixed itself momentarily. “That is not a term I’m willing to negotiate on.”

“Then we have nothing to discuss!”

Sean slammed a fist onto the podium, now yelling into the mike, “I have so much here! So much! You have no idea. Over all of you stuck-up Blondies-”

“My god, the projection,” Raoul mused.

“-and most of you stupid, pathetic members of Triple O!”

Riki yelled over Sean’s tirade, “Show ‘em! Ain’t we all ready?”

A roar of approval swept the stage. It was then that Jupiter and Sean truly realized that the playing ground was no longer in their favor, and had not been in their favor since Riki stepped into the Commonwealth. The humiliation that they had reserved for a last resort could turn against them. Easily.

“Fine.” Jupiter calmed herself. “Give these hooligans what they want.”

Sean pointed up. “You can’t sue me! I’m recording all of this. You _gave_ me permission!”

Cal muttered, “It seems Triple A stands for Absent Any Accountability.”

Sean, with the projector still showing his computer, went to his email, and then to the email’s data cloud. A folder named ‘Taking Them Down’ was opened, with more than a thousand files of pictures and videos and transcripts from phones.

“Was it just me or was his email clearly visible?” Katze asked rhetorically, already taking out his own phone.

“What was it?” Gilbert asked, doing the same, and quickly inserting the email Katze had so deftly remembered.

“Let’s start with Iason!” Sean announced, frowning as the audience mostly happily cheered him on. He clicked through pictures of Iason mostly naked as he was getting ready Friday morning. Static poses morphed into the video Riki took- he had forgotten he recorded it. No wonder, as he put his phone to the side atop the enormous bathroom sink and took a quick shower with Iason, while attempting to do a little more than showering.

“Stop kissing my neck, Riki!” the video Iason ordered.

The real Iason groaned. “Is that what I sound like? Please stop it now.”

“That is what you’re complaining about?” Raoul rubbed a hand down his face. “Not the fact that your dick is present for everyone to see?”

“And Riki’s!” Griffith’s eyes were wide. “He’s huge! Wish my dick was that big.”

Gideon scoffed at him: “So that you can never have sex?”

“I’m sure girls will like it.”

Mimea informed him: “So that thing can bash against my cervix? No thanks.”

“Oh.” Griffith’s mind-blowing confusion was matched by the energetic crowd.

The faculty- naturally, minus Jupiter- seemed about ready to intervene, a number of them coming to the stage and trying to talk to the other members, but upon the positive reactions, let the surprising tide wash over.

Sean’s fingers could be heard smashing the mousepad. “What about this?” 

Riki sat down and melted into the seat as his pictures of Iason’s sleeping form after their session in Rupa’s came onto the screen.

“Can you see the scratch marks and the bruising? Riki’s been beating him!” Sean clicked on the next button- but quickly skipped that video to the next.

The crowd was having none of it: “Show that one!”, “What was that?”, “Go back!”

Behind him, Sean’s buddies, obviously not having gone through the material, goaded him to: “Don’t hold back!”, “Show it all!”

So Sean went back and pressed play: “You feelin’ okay?” Riki asked.

Iason murmured, eyes still closed, “Are you recording? How much space do you have on your phone?”

“About four terabytes.” Iason opened his eyes and raised his head, the side of his face imprinted with the pattern of the sofa. “What? I like to keep a record.”

“That’s a lot. Makes me think that I’m just a notch on your belt.”

“Does it really?” Riki’s worry caused him to drop his phone face-down.

“Of course not. I don’t know what I’ll do if I was just another notch.”

“Probably move on to the next guy?”

“Let me amend that: I don’t know what I’ll do _to you_ if I was just another notch.”

“Duly noted.”

The almost canned laughter that erupted made Sean yell at them, “All of you are just as sick as Riki is! Fine! Fuck it, let’s get to the meat of the matter.” Sean quickly scrolled through the list, ignoring the taunting and calls to ‘not skip’, before landing on the pictures of Iason on Riki’s bike.

Iason hid his face, feeling his neck and ears burn with embarrassment. Although he said he didn’t have anything to be ashamed of, it still really sucked to have these private moments with Riki be showcased to the rest of Triple A.

But if he didn’t think about it too much, all he could hear was the love from everyone else.

He heard a whisper in his ear: “Those pics turned out fucking great.”

Iason looked through his fingers.

He found a stranger on the screen. Although he knew it had to be him, that it was generally impossible that it wasn’t, he had a hard time believing the seductive arch of his back or the smolder of his eyes.

“What filter did you use?”

“My corneas.”

Iason punched him playfully in the shoulder.

Sean was saying, “Stop taking pictures!” He looked to Jupiter.

She was no longer in the Commonwealth.

The man awkwardly looked over his shoulder for reinforcement. He got stupid looks and useless shrugs.

So Sean clicked out of the files, complaining, “Riki is just untouchable. I see, I see. Y’all don’t have the eyes to see that Riki is not perfect and neither is Iason, but it doesn’t seem that any of you care!” Sean’s breathing was labored. “So let’s move on to someone else. You guys might know him as the social butterfly of Triple A, but he’s just a fa-” A deafening condemnation exploded before he even finished the word. After quite a few buckets of popcorn, a bursting soda can, and finally a shoe landed on or near his person, the president turned around to Isaiah. “Send me Gideon’s stuff.”

Gideon breathed in and out, trying to keep calm. “Okay. Okay. I really hope he got my good side like Riki did with you, Iason.”

Gilbert whispered, “All your sides are good, Gideon.”

“Oh, Gilbert, thank you. Even if you’re lying.”

“C’mon, Isaiah!” Sean had turned completely to the man. “You said that if you couldn’t convince Gideon to church just one time, ONE TIME. You said you’d do this! Did he go with you to church even once?”

Isaiah slowly shook his head, staring at his shoes.

“Then send me the videos!”

Isaiah said something.

“What?”

Louder, but still indistinct, Isaiah repeated himself.

“Come here to the damn podium.” Isaiah did so in a shuffle. “Now, what?”

“I don’t have them.”

“What do you mean you don’t have them? I saw one of them. It was perfect.”

“I…” The microphone caught the sound of a forceful swallow. “I erased them.”

As nearly all noise stopped, Sean reiterated, “You… erased them. Why? When?”

“As soon as you saw them.” 

“Why?! What was all this church shit about if you didn’t even have it?”

Isaiah shook his head. “I thought Gideon would go at least once. And then you would just forget about it. But…”

Sean finished proudly, “He didn’t even go once. I bet you regret that now, don’t you?”

“No.”

“…NO?”

“No. I don’t regret it,” Isaiah said firmly.

“He’s not the least bit Christian!”

“Neither are you.” This response garnered sympathetic claps and words of approval. Although it was likely that Isaiah couldn’t hear any of it distinctly, he still shook his head. “I should have never done this. I should have not tried to catch Gideon ‘in the act’ like you asked me to. I should have listened to the President and just let you rich dudes live out your college days being stupid, mean and selfish, and then get a job with your equally stupid, mean and selfish fathers. These past few months, reporting back to you like you were some boss, watching this man-” He pointed a thumb at Kirie. “-act so desperate for your leadership and material wealth at the expense of lifelong friends. How you flip and turn for Dean Jupiter’s approval even as she’s obsessed with Triple O and Iason. How’s she’s the embodiment of evil.”

Isaiah raised his head, although he addressed the crowd, “Sean hit me. He was reporting to Jupiter, and I was there. Sean had scooped me up at just the right time, making me realize how I’ve been messing with Gideon and I earned every mean word from him. There in Dean Jupiter’s office, we watched as Iason passed out on a bench.”

Sean spat, “And you wanted to go help him, like some Superman!”

“Like a sane man! Jupiter said jump, and you fucking said ‘how high’ and busted my nose. What were you going to do if Riki hadn’t come in time? Would you really have let Iason freeze to death? Please.” The second wind blew away as quickly as it come, and Isaiah asked desperately, “You would have gone down, right?”

His (ex)-friend shrugged. “Dean Jupiter had it handled.”

“If she didn’t do anything, you would have gone down with me, right? Right?”

“It doesn’t matter. That’s not how it happened. Get off the fucking stage.” Sean didn’t look back at Isaiah, even as the man stared him down, waiting for an answer. Isaiah finally left.

“So Isaiah was a spy too!” Orphe cried.

Twirling the ends of his hair with a finger, Gideon answered quietly, “He got better.”

“Oh, please. You want to forgive him because he suddenly grew a conscience?”

“I do like to reward good behavior.”

A disgusted sigh was overrun by the sound of doors closing from the projector.

A low camera showed the bare hips and a secretive hand movement. Two small men took to either side of Gilbert, who was already shirtless. Although not very defined, his abs and torso were nothing to ridicule, and both men pressed their hands up and down his body. One of them went even further down to undo his pants and slip a hand in, while Gilbert sighed into the mouth of the other man.

“What is this being recorded on? A potato?” Gilbert muttered. He had a view of the screen by the most peripheral of his peripheral vision. “Of course mine looks like crap.”

Sean interpreted the now mostly silent hall quite positively. So much so that he tried to say, “Now you guys aren’t-”

“PORN RULES!” several hundred voices cried at once, then went silent again.

“Wha-”

“PORN RULES!”

“Are they saying that porn rules?” Hubert asked. “Porn does rule, I suppose.”

Laughing a little, Daryl clarified, “No, they mean that ‘porn rules’ are in effect.”

Curious, Raoul inquired, “What are ‘porn rules’?”

“Basically, even in a room full of people, act as if you’re alone. Would you start talking randomly while watching porn?”

“Depends on the porn I’m watching.” As the group of them laughed, Raoul’s eyes merely narrowed in confusion. “Isn’t it the same for everyone?”

Daryl continued to explain, “You wouldn’t talk in a regular voice. Even in your own room.”

“That is true.”

“You wouldn’t be gasping and such.”

“I try to keep it down.”

Nodding, Daryl agreed, “Exactly. Oh. And of course you can masturbate.”

“You’ve lost me.”

Sean’s suddenly screeching made them all jump.

“STOP TOUCHING YOURSELVES. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? I’M GOING TO GET ALL OF YOU FUCKING EXPELLED. YOU, AND YOU, AND YOU!”

“I think he’s broken,” Katze said.

“AND YOU GUYS UP THERE! YOU THINK I DON’T SEE YOU? YOU’RE NOT INVISIBLE.”

“Definitely broken.”

“THIS WON’T BE THE LAST TIME I-”

A loud ringtone of fast Russian rapping interrupted him. He pulled the phone from his pocket. “MOM. I’M BUSY!”  

Sean’s ‘Mom’ asked in a rush, “Sean. Do you know who Iason Mink is?”

Blink-blink-blink. “What… Why are you asking that?”

“Do you? If you did, apologize to him. I don’t care what you did, I don’t care what he did, just apologize. Stephanie and Louis are being sued and Sis is asking everybody in the family for help. Oh, god, that’s not even- Mr. Mink-”

“Mr. Mink?!”

Iason sighed loudly. “Ugggh, Daddy is such a worrywart!”

“Wait, Mom, everybody can hear. Let me-”

His mother latched onto this bit, desperately adding, “You mean everyone as in Triple A? Then apologize to Iason! Right now. Re-Re-Record it! If we do that, maybe Mr. Mink will drop the charges. And stop- Charles? Ask him!”

A wait as ‘Charles’ asked ‘him’, and then, “Alright, Mr. Mink says that’s fine.”

Sean snapped, “Are you on the phone with Mr. Mink? Fucking hang up on him, Mom!”

“Sean, oh, my god, he’s counting. Sean, just fucking go over there and apologize! We just bought you a new fucking phone and now you have this man buying out the business!”

“Fuck that!” Sean hung up the phone, staring blankly in Iason’s direction.

Iason sat cross-legged, leaning heavily into Riki’s side as Riki leaned into his. As they shared a look, Iason looked back down at Sean with a lifted brow.

Sean’s phone rang again, with a proper ringtone. Slowly, and in a much deeper, respectful voice, he answered, “Dad?”

“Sean. We don’t ask much of you. Do we? Now. I will explain to you why a simple fucking apology is necessary. You know that I and Louis, and Christopher and Thomas, and a few other men work underneath the CEO and the COO. Right?”

“Yes…Sir.”

“Sean. Somehow. This Mr. Mink has convinced both of them to let go of Christopher and Thomas. If you had been willing to apologize within the last two minutes, your Uncle Louis will also still have a job. If you do not _fucking apologize_ , I will lose my job. Mr. Mink says that once that happens, there is no going back. However. If you. Fucking. Apologize. We will all get our jobs back.”

Sean wheedled, “But you said Dean Jupiter-”

“Fuck Dean Jupiter! If she kicks you out of the fraternity, we’ll deal.”

“Oh, god, this is sad.” Iason took out his phone and messaged his dad.

_DADDY QUIT IT OR I WILL HATE YOU FOREVER!_

“Okay. I’ll… I’ll say something.”

“Say you’re sorry.”

“It’s not even my fault!”

“Sean! Wait, what? Carol, what? Oh. Thank God. Thank God, thank God, thank God.”

Sean demanded, “What? What, what?”

“Mr. Mink says he’ll ‘stop’, whatever that means. Only because Iason said so. Sean. Is he in the same room?”

“Yea, whatever-”

“Not whatever! You are coming home TODAY. Get packed. I’m buying you a train ticket for within the HALF hour, and you better catch it, or you can work for your allowance! You didn’t have to fucking mean it! Mr. Mink wanted to embarrass you and your embarrassment is worth a thousand times less than even a penny!”

Sympathetic sounds rumbled from the audience- that was pretty brutal, especially coming from his dad!

“And Chad too! I don’t know how, but Mrs. Mink did some fucking hypnotic trick on Stephanie and made her say that Chad ruined a ten thousand dollar jacket! Is Chad there? Is that true?”

“It’s,” Sean said with a wavering voice, as he scraped his fingers through his gelled hair,” It’s true. It’s true, yes.”

“God. What a mess. What a fucking mess. I’m sending you the train details right now. Do. Not. Miss. It!”

“Yes, Sir.”

Without even a second glance at anyone else, Sean’s stupefied expression stayed. Without another angry word, he closed his laptop shut, making the projector sputter in surprise before going black. Without even checking his phone again as it beeped with what must have been his father’s train message, he went down the stage.

He was followed by a cursing, cursing, cursing, _cursing_ Chad, and the line of his sycophants. More than one of them was quietly talking on their own phones, worried that their own end was nigh. In a parade of pathetic, they left the Commonwealth, and once they were far enough, the applause lasted for three straight minutes.

The Dean of Finance came to the stage. Mostly everyone was ready to leave, as the reservation for occupation of the hall was only in the Triple A name, or, at the least, wasn’t in any of _their_ names.

“The reservation ends at five.” She sighed. “Please don’t make too much of a mess. You’re not allowed to drink alcohol indoors; underage drinking will be punished. If bottles of certain shapes and smells are left or found, I will be forced to test for drinking, underage and otherwise. I repeat, if bottles or flasks or smells are _left_ or _found_. We’ll have to test for drinking. Okay? Okay. Jesus, Apollo hasn’t changed at all.” She left the stage, and the hall, and presumably the Commonwealth, even as everyone cheered and stormed the stage, and awkwardly crossed arms over bulging parts of jackets.

“Wait. Wait. Wait.” Guy intervened as the group of them descended the stands. “All you had to do was call Daddy and he could make Sean disappear? Can’t he do that for Tanagura?”

Iason huffed, “I wish. But Tanagura is a public school. Even if it was private, like high school, his skin is a bit dark to own prestigious bits of land, even with all his money.”

“Wait. He’s… Dark?”

Iason took out his phone to show them all.

Silence.

“Gat-damn,” Mimea said first. “No wonder you call him Daddy. How tall is he?”

“Seven foot six,” Iason answered, grinning with all the pride he deserved.

Silence.

“Riki,” Guy voiced.

“Yes, Guy,” Riki answered.

“Just how far away were you when you said you had a bigger dick?”

“Down the hall, halfway inside the staircase.”

“Mm. Thought so.”

Riki laughed, throwing an arm around Guy’s shoulder. “What would you do if he had beat my ass?”

“Whatever Mr. Mink wanted me to do.”

“What? What if he said kick me up side my head?”

“I’ll ask which side.” At the following laughter, Guy insisted, “You think I’m joking. What’s the point of the both of us getting our asses kicked?”

“You’re so funny.”

(Guy did want to make them laugh.)

(He also was not joking.)

The rapid downfall of the organizers of the Valentine’s Extravaganza put the fire to everyone left, as the stands were pressed down or back into wall and floor and gave way to more plugs and outlets. Congratulations poured from excited friends and acquaintances, followed by quiet conversations on what ‘to do’ with certain people. Riki deescalated many upset persons and went the rounds of introducing Iason Mink as his boyfriend, which seemed to please him and, well, he certainly aimed to please.

Despite their original aims, with the help of the Student Government Association, Triple A had some decorations and activities organized in the lovey-dovey theme. One such activity was a very confused photographer taking pictures in front of a large heart made with dozens of bouquets of roses. To the side of him were racks of clothing from the cheesiest sweaters much worse than Riki’s own, to full suits and ballroom dresses.

Naturally, Riki and Iason took a picture in what they were already wearing. They were handed a flash drive from the photographer, and the man, still very confused on what was happening on this campus, said, “Have a good honeymoon! I think… I don’t know.”

As they left the man to do his job, Iason said with a laugh, “Can you imagine Daddy seeing me get married?”

“Oh,” Riki answered with a rather tight smile, “I could imagine. Although I would like a very small wedding, with just a few people.”

“No! Just… Like my parents and your grandmother?”

“More like, groom, groom, aaaaaaaand a civil servant.”

 “Absolutely not. I want a huge wedding.”

Riki thought of perhaps hiring a body double.

 

~Part Two~

 

An hour after Sean made his escape (and got on his train with Chad), the excitement had reached its plateau. Games of all kinds were set up, people were picking out date partners for the night, the photographer had a steady stream of excited people willing to dress up like idiots, while a caricature artist helped ease his burden. She arrived much later at the behest of Triple A and was prepared completely to deal with spoiled trust fund college students making her draw and redraw caricatures into more accurate portraits, until her hand cramped up and she was forced to leave and take a pay cut for leaving early. Instead, she endured what seemed to be a massive group of friends wanting whatever she offered. Several times, students attempted to pay her.

“I already got paid. It’s alright.”

“Oh,” said one particularly short boy with a tall blond man by his side- or should she say woman? The artist didn’t want to be rude. Either way, they were both stunning. “Then this is a tip.” He walked away and took a hat from the costume baskets, dropping it to her feet. There he let his twenty-dollar ‘tip’ lay. Much to her surprise, earlier clients came back to ‘tip’ her. When her hand was tired, she was handed a soda can, while her last subject informed everyone she was closing up shop.

She would talk to the photographer later and learn to avoid the frat guys. Apparently, if she talked to some ‘Iason Mink’, she will be well taken care of, whatever that meant.

Iason had no idea that such a conversation ever occurred, and had quite forgotten about the woman in general. He would remember her later when reading her signature off of his and Riki’s couple caricature.

On the thick paper, he was drawn nearly twice Riki’s size, but the woman drew black stripes in the background to somehow highlight the smaller man’s personality, his wide grin. The drawing took on a fantastical bend, as they were both shirtless, but for the heart shapes that marked the front of their shirts, with Riki’s heart a bright hole his skin, and Iason had a heart pulling softly from his skin. It wasn’t gruesome or anything, just a bit cartoonish.

They agreed that Iason could have the drawing, and Riki would take the flash drive.

After all this, they found a place on the stage, behind the back curtains (there were _three_ sets) and against the wall. They talked about what exactly happened between Riki, the police, and his parents, and Iason would easily forgive him.

Shortly after that.

They were making out like teenagers (granted, Riki was nineteen), with Iason hovering over Riki’s lap and playing with his nipples, enjoying hot hands over his jeggings, a lolling tongue against his. Soft caresses between his legs brought more desire than it should have. At any time someone could just come behind the curtain, more out of curiosity than anything. The curtain didn’t actually leave much room, and the heavy fabric pushed onto his back.

Kissing Riki’s jaw, Iason asked him, “Didn’t you have something for me?”

Riki broke off their embrace, crying out, “Shit! I do! What time is it?” He pulled out his phone to check. “Okay, we still have four hours.”

Checking the screen, Iason sighed. “It’s not until six? That’s such a long time.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep you occupied.”

“Oh?” Iason’s reach forward met Riki’s hands.

“Mimea’s backpack has everything you need. Just ask her for it.”

Iason stood gracefully, with his long hair swinging across his back. “Anything else?”

Riki stood. “When you get it, go to the bathroom and put it all on.”

Heart starting to beat with a force, a warmth spread across Iason’s chest. An excitement. He almost didn’t want to leave from behind the curtain. “And?”

“Come back to me. Give me the remote.”

The remote?

Exhilarating.

Giving Riki another kiss, he set off to do as he was told. He found Mimea easily among a crowd playing some old dancing game. She was already shrugging off her bag to hand to Iason before he said anything. She told him in a whisper, “Take a picture!”

Obviously an outfit then. Where did the remote come in then?

He arrived at the nearest bathroom in the nearest open stall, practically ripping open the bag. Inside: what looked like a thin mesh and leather outfit, a remote with only a few buttons and wheels on the sides, and some lube. He turned the outfit every which way, figuring out that it was a one piece, lined with silky softness on the inside, creating a barrier between what seemed to be tiny bits of machinery, and he knew the back from the normal sized dildo hanging.

He prepared himself, working himself slowly and gently, then tried to put in the toy. It took longer than he found acceptable. At least he wasn’t at the Hot Crack party taking so long. He finally managed to slip the toy in comfortably, then set about to squeeze his limbs into the rest.

The material stretched immensely, proving why there was no need for a single zipper. A lucky thing that was, for he had slipped on the entire thing before he realized there were loose pieces. He pushed a hand underneath from where the outfit ended very high on this thighs. He felt the circular rubbery things, realizes immediately they were cock rings. Their sizes would mean… One would go around his scrotum and the other at the base of his penis? He tried exactly like that, and they both fit snug.

Of course, Iason recorded the entire occasion, with photos and a videos, sending them immediately to Riki.

Raoul would murder him if he knew that just after all of that hullabaloo, he went right back to doing what got him in trouble in the first place.

He put his regular clothes back on. He decided not to go back just yet. He wanted to know what the remote did! He had an idea of course, but he just wanted to try it a bit himself.

He flicked the ‘on’ switch in the middle. Nothing happened. So he pressed the button right under to the left, watching it dip. Nothing. Then he pushed up the wheel next to that button, and he felt the slow vibration across his left nipple. Not the slightest dull came across the silky barrier, but he could feel the round vibrating thing playing across the tip. The wheel had numbers, and Iason managed to make it to six out of twelve before his eyes pricked with tears. Who the hell made it to twelve? Thor?

He turned on the other nipple, the little hook in his belly button (two was the limit on his piercing), then the dildo, and then, after being slightly confused what the last buttons could be for, his cock rings. His erection went so stiff, his body so suddenly so very sensitive, he flicked the off button on top instead of turning things off one by one. Everything stopped, which served to only make him fall back against the bathroom stall, weak in every limb.

Now to bring it to Riki.

Iason found Riki singing in a voice seemingly deeper than his usual, incredibly thrilling all the same. Those thoughts were undoubtedly shared, as people crowded around the karaoke machine and kept a respectable noise level, then dialed it all up to one hundred once he was done.

“Together!”

“Get everyone together!”

Iason watched as several people pushed up various members of the Bison gang to apparently sing with Riki, but, unlike Riki, they would rather not. Much rather not. Much, much rather not. Katze shamelessly held onto the legs of a random nearby person.

Iason had all his attention on this humorous display, and so was not even slightly prepared for Zeke to pick him up from his legs and lift him onto the small stage set up for the karaoke machine and microphones. Riki pulled him up before he fell backwards.

Riki asked, very loudly and clearly into the mike, “Can you sing?” He deftly took the remote in Iason’s hand, throwing Mimea’s purse back at her.

Iason’s so-called friends screamed that he could sing. The surrounding crowd went insane.

“Do you want to?” Riki asked.

“He’s too scared to sing!” Orphe yelled.

Riki knew that Orphe was prodding as usual, but he secretly hoped it was working.

Iason informed him with a shrug, “I’ve only had real practice singing opera. I highly doubt anyone would want to hear that, especially just some solo from me.”

Oh, cute, he thought that would get him free. Iason underestimated everyone’s willingness to absorb as much of the pair as possible, in whatever shape they were able to get them.

And apparently Iason didn’t think Riki could sing opera. Time to correct that.

“So I guess you have no experience singing duets then?” Riki mused aloud, putting a finger to his lips to make sure no one give Iason any hints on changing his assumptions.

“Of course I do,” Iason responded indignantly. Riki knew, of course. One couldn’t call themselves an opera singer if they had no accomplishments other than solos. Riki just needed to set things up properly.

“Yea? What’s your usual voice type?”

“Tenor.” Iason’s voice was tinged with pride. He probably had to work hard for that voice.

“So you probably know ‘O Soave Fanciulla’?”

From the crowd, Ruphias shouted with much more energy than Riki’s ever heard him have, “That’s my favorite! Sing it, Iason! Sing it, sing it!” The mantra was taken up by everyone else until Iason grabbed a mike.

“Fine! Damn it, Zeke. I haven’t done this in a while so please excuse my voice.” He watched as Riki set up the karaoke music. “But it’s a duet. Who will do Mimi?”

“Just skip her parts, then!” Ruphias proposed, bouncing on his toes in excitement.

“This will sound weird, but fine. You can start it.”

Riki pressed the start button, putting his microphone back on the stand and turning it off. Iason did the same, and when the background orchestra started up, so did he: “O soave fanciulla~”

Iason looked down at the crowd, and if Riki hadn’t spent the entire week looking at his face and thinking of him, he would have thought he looked as if he hated everything and everyone. However, Riki had a feeling he was just trying to hide his shyness with overconfidence. Although, there was nothing to feel unconfident about; his gorgeous voice filled the entire Commonwealth, so much so that people in the halls wandered back in to investigate.

“Ch’io vorrei sempre sognar~!”

Mimi’s part was right up next.

Riki upped his vocal range to jump in, “Ah~ Tu sol comandi, amor~”

Iason whipped his head down at him, although not missing a beat. The embarrassment he had been trying so hard to hide spread across his face immediately. Even with this abrupt turn of events, they spun their voices together.

“E al ritomo?” Iason asked.

“Curioso!” Riki answered, as if they were actually just speaking to each other. The call back went on for a couple more measures until, looking into each other’s eyes, they sang together the last, “Amor~!”

The both of them burst out laughing at the end, even amid the serious applause.

“Encore! Encore! Encore!”

“Absolutely not.” Iason moved to hop down from the little stage, voice a little raspy from the exercise. He hadn’t sung in ages. Not since…

Playfully, Riki turned the main switch on from the remote, meaning to flick on a nipple. He was unaware that many of the settings were far from default.

Iason gasped just the tiniest bit, but fell forward like a puppet cut abruptly from strings. Louder gasps echoed as he fell over into the arms of the fastest moving, Guy and Raoul, and both felt the vibrations of the suit against their arms. They straightened up Iason, and kept him up as his legs refused to solidify.

Unfortunately, Riki believed, like most of those who saw, that Iason merely tripped. So, he kept the remote running, oblivious to the fact that every single button was on the limits Iason had set in the bathroom. Realizing that _something_ was up as Iason seemed to be shaking, he jumped down to take Guy’s place holding Iason up.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he whispered, dropping his voice even further to add, “Did the toy get too deep?” God. What if broke off? He paid a pretty penny for the damn thing!

“Turn it off…” Iason gasped, leaning his front into Riki’s back.

The smaller man felt the massive erection, and, moreover, the vibrations. He checked the remote and noticed the settings.

“Whoops.” Riki flicked it off.

“Is that a remote?!” Raoul hissed. Face stoning up, he dropped Iason’s arm. “The both of you are bad for my heart.”

Guy smacked Riki upside his head before separating. Others began to take up the mikes as it was made obvious Iason and Riki would not be returning (that day), and the couple themselves joined a beginning game of Cards Against Humanity. Well, it was more like Riki pushed Iason onto the nearby chair where _he_ asked some people to start playing after he finished karaoke. A number of tables were pushed together in an ‘L’ shape to allow everyone to hear well enough for the laughs. Iason sat at the inner corner where an erection can be hidden easily.

“Are you alright?” Riki whispered.

“Yes. Just a bit.” Iason lowered his voice. “Just a bit sensitive.”

Riki read the numbers. “Are these as high as you can go?”

“Yes!”

“Alright, alright.” Riki pushed everything down to zero, then turned on the remote, and just the right nipple, on the lowest setting.

“Right now?” whispered Iason.

“Right now.”

Riki had to set things up, after all.

Daryl started, reading his black card, “Well if ‘blank’ is good enough for ‘blank’, it’s good enough for me. Remember to put the first blank face-down so I read it first.” Everyone put in their cards, while Mimea shuffled them without Daryl looking. They had their way of playing. Then Daryl picked up the options.

“If ‘soup that is too hot’ is good enough for ‘a micropig wearing a tiny raincoat and booties’, it’s good enough for me. I can guess who put _this_ one.” Smiling, he picked up the next option. “The penny whistle solo from ‘My Heart Will Go On’ is good enough for ‘bees question mark’.”

“What does that sound like again?” Mimea asked. Daryl whistled the tune. “Why bees tho’?”

“Because they didn’t have another noun. The question mark makes the joke, I think. Next, if ‘fabricating statistics’ is good enough for ‘AXE body spray’-” He burst out laughing, warning everyone, “This is first place. And, ‘being worshipped as the one true God’ is good enough for ‘Miley Cyrus at fifty-five’-” Again, he couldn’t finish.

Gideon asked, “Is that better than the AXE one? Huh, huh?”

“Wait, wait. Two more- guess some of you are playing as couples.”

“Hey! They should only use seven cards still!”

As a number of people voiced their agreement, Luke and Ruphias all put their cards back (while everyone else continued to half-listen).

Daryl continued, “If ‘breaking out into song and dance’ is good enough for- Haha! This one! Oh, wait, still one more.”

“Wait, my card was next!” Mimea complained. “Don’t read it. It sucks.”

Katze took the black card.

“What was IT!” Iason finished with a squeak as Riki turned up the dial- he completely forgot about it! How as that possible?

Daryl slowly answered, “If ‘breaking out into song and dance’ is good for ‘battlefield amputations’, it’s good enough for me. I like my humor dark, as you can see. Katze let’s play as one team. Six is a bit much with everyone here.”

Everyone threw in their cards and got new ones, continuing taking turns. Mimea (and Cal) chose Katze’s ‘third base’ for ‘The votes are in, and the new high school mascot is ‘blank’’. Luke (and Gideon) next to her had the black card ‘Here at the Academy for Gifted Children, we allow students to explore ‘blank’ at their own pace’, and chose Riki’s ‘Lunchables’. Luke and Gideon playing together, it was Aisha (and Ruphias) next, putting the ‘Yo mama so fat’ black card back in the stack and got instead, ‘Introducing Xtreme Baseball! It’s like baseball, but with ‘blank’! They picked Katze’s ‘pretending to care’.

“Remind me never to play poker with Katze,” muttered Aisha.

“I usually don’t get a single black card,” Katze said.

“It’s true,” muttered Daryl. “But you keep getting good cards. Iason?”

Iason breathed in, praying that he got a short black card.

“Are you okay?”

He answered quickly, just as the vibration across his nipple increased just a bit before falling away, “I-I-I’m fine! Just fine. So, let’s see, goddamnit.” It was of course a double. “Anywaaaay.” Iason held the last vowel as Riki let the vibration stay on the highest he could possibly take it, clenching his teeth so hard he felt the squeak as one of them ground against another. The vibration disappeared. Immediately: “Becauseyouenjoyedblank-”

“Slower,” the others said, saying in different ways that he was going too fast.

“Yes. Slower!” He glanced urgently at Riki. The man slightly lessened the effect on his delicate nub, letting Iason say naturally, “Because you enjoyed ‘blank’, we thought you’d like ‘blank’.”

Riki shuffled the white card answers, and Iason heard the clatter of the remote falling to the floor.

Seizing this moment, he read aloud, “Because you enjoyed ‘brown people’- oh, god.” Fortunately the rest of the table began laughing along with him. “You enjoyed ‘brown people’, we thought you’d like ‘hospice care’- can I laugh at this?” The other Blondies uncomfortably looked at each other as the rest laughed even harder.

“It’s fine if y’all laugh. You probably have more brown than me, anyway,” Guy said from over Riki’s shoulder, grinning.

Iason let himself smile a bit, then went on, “Because you enjoyed ‘gloryholes’, we thought’ you’d like ‘a defective condom’. Makes sense. It’s a tie so far. Number three, because you enjoyed ‘assless chaps’, we thought you’d like ‘a can of whoop-ass’.” His sudden laugh was cut short as the dildo started vibrating. He reached a hand onto Riki’s thigh. The vibration stayed, and the silence was getting too long!

“B-Because you enjoyed ‘giving birth to the Antichrist’, god, we thought you’d like, _god_ , we thought you’d like ‘my soul’.”

“These are the best,” murmured Aisha, taking out his phone. “I want to take a pic. Wait, what’s the last one?”

“Because you enjoyed-” At the card, Iason fell back giggling like a child. “Hehehe- ok, ok. Because you enjoyed ‘being rich’.” The table responded similarly as he did just to this first card. “We thought you’d like ‘my collection of high-tech sex toys’.”

“Definitely needs to a pic,” Aisha’s usually bored face was bright with an amused smile. As he lined up the cards for a perfect pic, Iason was left to pick the winner, the table going quiet as he did so. Even though the number of black cards was important to winning, everyone knew that having the best card out of a good group was the real honor.

“I have to pick-” He let them hang for a bit, and finally decided, “It’s just too apt for today, I have to pick the ‘being rich’ one.”

“Yes!” Riki shouted besides him.

“Was that really yours?”

“I know, right? I was like, maaan, this one gone be killer, but then everyone and they mama got good cards. Was ‘brown people’ y’all’s card, Katze?”

Katze nodded, his grin creasing his scar into a lightning shape. “Who had the Antichrist?”

“That was ours,” Aisha answered.

“We were the gloryholes!” Gideon and Luke said together.

Mimea clicked her teeth. “We had the assless chaps. Damn it.”

“At least we used our best cards against other good cards,” Cal said.

It was Riki’s turn, and he turned off the suit completely. Iason reached for the remote, and Riki’s quick push of the remote away had it sliding towards Luke and Gideon, who picked it up.

“Is this the remote for the karaoke machine? The lights?” he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he began flicking switches. “The stadium? But what are the wheels for?” Iason could almost feel Gideon’s thumb pushing up the wheel to its greatest extent.

Thank God above, it was only a nipple.

Still.

“Riki! Jesus Christ, it’s Riki’s! Give it back!”

“Um. ‘Kaaaaay.” Gideon pushed the remote back without turning anything off.

Iason snatched it, scratching Riki in the process, and turned everything off. Before anyone could ask him for the millionth time the state of his physicality, he grabbed a white card, seeing he was one short.

In a tight voice, he said, “Your turn, Riki.”

“Uh. Yea. Yea. Ok.” Smooth, Riki, he thought to himself. He picked a card, reading, “Tonight on twenty-twenty: What you don’t know about ‘blank’ can kill you.”

Iason was first to give, using his most recent card.

“That was too fast,” Katze muttered. “Let’s not use our best card.”

“No! Use it!” Iason demanded. He wasn’t going to win by default, damn it!

“Fine. Fine. Don’t be mad if we beat you.”

Iason shuffled for Riki, who started, “What you don’t know about ‘world peace’ can kill you. Oh, right, we startin’ off strong. And next, what you don’t know about ‘a cooler full of organs’- yea, no shit.” He let them get quiet before continuing, “What you don’t know about ‘my inner demons’ can kill you. Aw, man, give me a break.”

Aisha was taking out his phone again.

“What you don’t know about ‘necrophilia’ can kill you.” People tried to reign in their snickering so that Riki could finish.

He read the last card.

He handed the black card to Iason.

“Thank you,” Iason said, as if everything was on their natural course in the universe.

“What is it? What is it?” Mimea, although far from Riki, still stood up to try to read the card still facing Riki.

Riki answered, “What you don’t know about ‘50,000 volts straight to the nipples’ could kill you.” Guy, Iason, and Riki started a fit.

Seeing all this, Raoul came over, picking up the black card and reading the white ones. His eyes landed on Iason’s card, and he rolled his eyes, muttering, “Of course.”

“I don’t really get why that’s so funny,” Cal admitted.

“Oh!” Gideon let out, and without a _goddamn ounce_ of forethought, he said, “That remote is to some sex toy on Iason’s nipples! Right?”

Four heads snapped to him with wide eyes and slack mouths.

“I’m guessing by that reaction I’m right.”

Iason’s red face looked to the nearest person, Aisha.

They shared a look for two seconds. On the third, Iason rose his hand as Aisha reached over.

Orphe took the remote from behind, running to the other side of the table.

“Raoul! Get him!” Iason ordered desperately.

Raoul pressed a dramatic hand to his chest- Iason knew immediately he would get no help from him- and his friend replied with even more dramatism, “Do you perhaps need my help? Now? After all that has happened, now you want my help. I’m shocked, just shocked, I tell you.”

“Nothing’s happening?” Orphe pouted as he fidgeted with the doohickeys. Gilbert appeared next to him. “And why does it have so many buttons and wheels. Wait.” He turned the remote around and put it at arm’s distance. “Oh. I see. It looks like a person.”

“Orphe, my man,” Riki started, standing a bit.

“Ha! You think you can work your charm on me? It doesn’t work! So, this is central control. Let’s turn things down here and here. And on!”

Everything that could vibrate, was vibrating.

He was getting wet!

Iason turned to Riki.

He saw black eyes shining, watching him.

He was _enjoying_ every moment.

Orphe spoke before them, “If you tell me when to stop, I’ll stop. After I try all the buttons.”

“Fine! Fine! Just, nothing higher than three!” Iason acquiesced.

“Three?” Gilbert scoffed. “The highest level is 12.”

“Yes, three!”

Raoul intervened, because if no one else would, he had to be the adult, “Orphe, come on. That is quite enough. Even though we are in _public_ , it is still private fun between Iason and Riki.”

Orphe shrugged. “You can come get the remote if you want.”

With a long-suffering sigh, Raoul began shrugging off his jacket (he still wore his, because he got cold easily).

Orphe and Gilbert were caught unawares as Raoul briskly stepped to one side and that much closer to Orphe, who stepped backwards into Gilbert’s side, nearly falling without his sudden correction, and before anyone could take another step, Raoul snatched the remote from Orphe’s hand, keeping it out of his reach.

At this, Riki sat down immediately.

Although Orphe crossed his arms in annoyance, Gilbert wasn’t done: “Now you’ve got the remote, Raoul. Maybe you can actually teach Iason a lesson.”

Iason rolled his eyes, about to reply with a sarcastic comment, but Raoul quietly said first, “It’s not like it’s private anymore, anyway.”

The Blondie felt a small pinch from Riki. Iason looked down to see Riki putting up a thumbs-up under the table. Then a thumbs-down. He did this a couple times with an upturned eyebrow.

It slowly dawned in Iason’s mind what he was asking. Was Riki serious? Of course he was.

If… If Riki wouldn’t mind… If Raoul would play along… In front of everyone…

Iason put up his thumb.

Riki felt himself harden.

Raoul saw this exchange, Riki’s fiery gaze in his direction. The remote suddenly felt very heavy in his hand, the eyes on him sticking like glue, his friends whispering, explaining to the other friends what was happening made him aware of their own little world. Acquaintances kept their distance, because that simply happened around the crème de la crème, and Raoul was used to it as everyone else. He looked at Iason.

His blue eyes up between blond eyelashes, making Raoul’s stomach flutter.

No, he didn’t get swept up by his feelings. That wasn’t in him.

Yet, Iason did need to be taught a lesson, and he couldn’t even think of anyone better to administrate than himself.

That was the excuse he settled on as he gave the remote another glance. It was rather small, all black, with the stark whiteness of clear numbers indicating limits. To make sure, he clicked the main control, then the top left button, rolling the wheel up to three, down to zero, up to three. Iason shakily rose his left hand, waving vaguely over his chest. At this, Orphe protested, “You hypocrite!”

“It’s fine if Raoul does it,” Riki told him.

“Oh, what, you can’t trust me?”

“Not even a little bit.”

As Orphe was set back by the blunt response, Raoul’s resolve firmed up something fierce, straight up his spine.

“See this-” He flicked on the right button, while leaving the left on. “-is what happens when you do things without any regard for consequences.”

Iason nodded, feeling Riki’s hand on his thigh, reaching up to prod at his captive ballsack.

“What’s this one?” Raoul demanded.

“M-My navel.” Embarrassingly, the word came from Iason’s mouth in a squeak.

“I’m guessing the piercing makes this less of a ‘three’ and more a one.”

Riki answered, “The last one on the left is a five, and on the right is a four.”

“The first two?”

“Six.”

Raoul hummed a bit to himself, musing, a bit afraid to press the last two buttons. “I can guess what the last two are for. Smart to settle on three for Orphe.” His gaze settled pointed on Iason, even as his best friend refused to look him in the eye. “Are these toys taped to you or are you wearing some sort of high-tech sex suit?”

“A s-suit.”

The man was merely buying for time and didn’t expect the answer he thought of in jest.

“It was what was in Mimea’s bag,” Raoul stated rhetorically

“That’s what it was? Riki!” Mimea looked in the bag, finding the bottle of lube. She zipped it all back up again. “Oh my god, Riki! What is wrong with you!”

“So. Iason. Here you are in a predicament because you, neither of you have fully thought out the repercussions.”

Aisha whispered in a not-whisper, “Only Iason is being punished though.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Guy is recording all of this and apparently will send it to someone important.”

Riki turned around to see Guy, indeed, with phone up and red light on.

“So who are you thinking about sendin’ it to?” Riki wheedled.

“Alec.”

Crestfallen, Riki covered the camera lens, begging, “And you’ll send it on Monday, riiiiiiight?”

Guy rolled his eyes. “Sure.”

Free from worries (until tomorrow night), Riki turned around with a smile.

Iason taunted, “Keeping record for posterity is what got me in trouble in the first place.”

Raoul frowned, flicking a wheel up to seven briefly. Iason obediently went silent, and a flush of heat sputtered in Raoul’s stomach.

He was getting turned on. Riki could see it clear as day, and from the way Raoul’s eyes roamed up and down Iason’s body, he surmised that Raoul was less about remote-controlling and more about suit-wearing.

Raoul frowned through his arousal, saying, “I doubt this is even much of a punishment for you. I bet you like being perverted in front of a bunch of people.”

“Well, you’re not really pushing me to be perverted.” Iason looked up into his green eyes, smirking.

Iason loved to push buttons! It just so happened that Raoul was in the mood for button-pushing as well! “Oh?” He flicked on the navel button and brought it up to three. “This is what you wanted, right?”

“Not that one!”

“This one, then?” He pushed the bottom button on the left. Iason’s head went up, but he only managed a small whine. “Not that one, either? Must be this last one then.”

Iason was a stone’s throw away from regretting this little endeavor completely. Dizziness and a heavy erection pushed him closer to the edge, although he was sitting down. Riki’s s stroking fingers made things nearly unbearable, the tips of his fingers obsessed with caressing the rubber rings encapsulating his arousal, but Raoul would stop once people started complaining. Right?

“Don’t you think this is a bit sexual to be doing in public, Raoul?” Gilbert mused.

“I do. I don’t care at the moment. Am I not allowed to have my moments, or are those only reserved for Orphe and Iason?”

“Disconcerting words from the most pragmatic of the Thirteen. Especially in the middle of them.”

“None of you are being forced to sit here and watch. Still, if you’re feeling glued to your seats or the air around you, let me give Iason a chance to rectify this situation.” Raoul placed the remote in front of Iason. As Iason so quickly reached for it, Raoul frowned in annoyance; he didn’t want it to be that easy. “Thank you for letting me know so clearly that you’re at your limit.”

As he expected, Iason’s hand stopped and quickly retreated.

“I see. You’re much stronger than that, aren’t you?” Raoul snatched up the remote and proceeded to set all the dials up one level.

Riki felt an elbow tap the back of his head. At that, he took out his phone and sent Guy a message.

_I got him._

He leaned back to show himself caressing Iason’s thigh. He received a message back.

_Alec is going to kill you._

_It won’t be that bad._ (It would if it happened.)

The remote landed back on the table.

Iason’s navel felt as if someone was poking it with a sharp stick right in the piercing, while his cock and ass felt like it was on fire. He should definitely pick up the remote, but Orphe and everyone was watching! What was he thinking? How had he pushed Raoul so far? Why was he so turned on he could barely think straight?

Raoul picked up the remote. “I guess you want to be the center of attention for just a while longer.”

That comment made Iason’s face burn with more embarrassment than anything else.

Then a whisper from Riki: “If you pass out, I’m not going to go to the party until you wake up on your own.”

Then he felt his nipples reach the point of no return, then his ass, his cock, and then, for some reason the most sensitive area of all, his belly button. They all hurt. Just hurt, and he wasn’t thinking of anything at all but the remote.

Tears gathered in his eyes. No! This can’t happen.

“Now, you’re at your limit. Although I’m sure you were just pushing through for some stupid reason like Orphe’s watching, or you’re invincible, et cetera. Which makes me think you’ve learned nothing!” Raoul made no move to place the remote back down. “If you apologize to me and everyone here, I’ll turn it off.”

Fuck that.

Raoul turned the remote off. Good. There was no way he would-

He turned it back on, cold turkey.

Riki realized that Raoul was no virgin when it came to this sort of play. He was doing it way too well. Riki remembered the conversation in the cafeteria, but he also assumed he was mostly ignorant of the steps, even if he could pick up some nuances. All those assumptions flew into the wind. He knew exactly.

Which was how Riki knew what Raoul’s immediate look towards him was about- his sudden crease in the eyebrows as worry clouded his features.

He felt he went too far.

Iason had swayed to the side. He felt himself going under. No! No, he was looking forward to this all week!

“I’m sorry!” he gasped.

Raoul’s spine steeled itself (after Riki’s nod), and he pushed, “Sorry about what?”

“For… For… Doing…. Things…” Iason didn’t even hear the laughs under people’s breath.

“How specific.”

“For getting all of you pulled into my private matters!” A tear fell, and the instantly mortified Iason was (finally) like, fuck it, nothing could be worse that crying. “For putting you at risk, myself at risk, for worrying you, especially you, Raoul. I know you’re only looking out for me. I just… Sometimes…”

Before Raoul made him say something embarrassing and much more intensely private than being aroused in public (logically speaking, most everyone alive has been aroused in public, anyway), he intervened smoothly, “You’ve apologized adequately enough. I know that, sometimes, you need a rush. As I hold this remote-” He turned said remote off, watching Iason quiver. “-I can see the thrill. However, there is a limit to everything. Correct?”

Iason nodded.

“Hm?”

“Yes, Raoul.”

“I’m so glad you agree.  Riki, I will be giving you back the remote. Guy, I would like Alec’s number. _Riki._ If I see this out, be reassured that I will not hold back a single detail from Alec.”

Yikes. “But I ain’t got pockets,” Riki murmured. “Mimea-”

“Oh, no, I’ll be _happy_ to hold onto it for you. No problem at all. Correct?”

Yikity-yikes. “Correcto-mundo,” Riki answered obediently.

The remote fell like a brick into Raoul’s pocket, and he left without another word to sit in the stands and start a round of poker on his game. He would lose twenty straight matches as he willed his raging erection away.

The tables were silent at the moment. Except for a few sniffles from Iason.

Orphe felt this was the perfect time to pounce on Iason’s momentary weakness, but he, like Gilbert, Marcus, Aisha and all the rest of them felt intensely the meaning behind Raoul’s, “No one is forcing you.” It was true. All had plenty chance to up and leave, but every one of them stayed to watch. Almost none of them understood why, and a few of them wouldn’t have left even if they wanted to- their pants were tented with half-erections.

On the flip side, Guy himself realized what Riki felt was missing from their relationship. At the moment of their break-up, Guy had simply found it all weird, but after the thrilling exchange he just recorded, he found it hard to forget. He wouldn’t ever want to be on the giving or receiving end of the exchange, but just to watch it, for a short while. It was something else.

He would not send the video to Alec.

However, he did send it to _every single person_ in their group. Including Orphe and Raoul, both whom Guy waited upon to ask him. Of course, some of them weren’t interested in men, but this transcended sex and went into some weird world of control and submission. Weird to them at least. It got to the breaking point as Riki’s face, soft but undeniably heated, gazed down longingly at Iason. His dark fingers pushed back blond strands, and his mouth laid kisses and indiscernible whispers against Iason’s cheek. It was evident that _something_ had happened and _something_ was continuing to happen and that the couple were doing _some things_ , but it was all buried underneath a flurried confusion of how to take in what they saw, in a healthy way.

No one said anything (and will never tease the fact) when Iason stood with what was clearly a hard-on, or as Riki’s fingers lifted up his shirt and revealed the bodysuit Iason was wearing. Of course, he said he had it on, but seeing it was a whole different story. Seeing it Mimea (who was free to move, of course, but her legs were a bit flimsy at the moment) threw her bag at Riki, who caught it in the air, winking at her. He and Iason went to Raoul, and after a pointed finger in their direction, Raoul handed Riki the remote and they left the Commonwealth main hall.

“Can I get in on the game?” Zeke was the one to break the silence after a few minutes. “Because, frankly, I need something to take my mind off of my erection. Sorry if that was TMI.”

Mumbles and shrugs answered him. Everyone felt the same. They started a new game.

In a far, far bathroom, Iason’s embarrassment refreshed anew.

“I can never show my face to them again,” Iason said sullenly, dipping tissue paper across his eyes.

“That’s fine,” Riki told him hoarsely.

Iason rose his head to retort but was stopped by a bruising kiss, forceful hands diving into his bottoms and playing with the toy there. One would think that after enduring vibrations of such intensity, mere fingers would be nothing to handle. One would be wrong. Just a single finger moved the dildo to the left, and his cock swelled, legs nearly giving out.

“He really gave it to you, didn’t he?” Riki kissed him again, sucking in his bottom lip and biting into the meat of it. He was so turned on, all he could think about was friction.

“Yes, well, I’m sure I’ll still hear about it. I pushed him too far and made him act in a way that is sure to embarrass him later, once he cools down,” Iason spoke between kisses. “Why are you so excited?”

“That sort of humiliation play really gets me going!” Riki pulled himself out to show just how far gone he was.

“Oh? So seeing me humiliated turns you on? You don’t seem to do it much.”

“I really suck at it. Makes me feel like I’m a bad person.”

“Aren’t you fortunate to suddenly have a friend who will make your wildest dreams come true?” Iason said wryly, inwardly glad that Riki didn’t yet have it in him to do what Raoul did. It certainly made _him_ feel like a bad person. Although in the midst of it, he was enjoying himself in some weird, masochistic way.

Riki ordered, “Get on your knees.”

Nice and to the point. Iason settled on his knees and did what was just natural to do down there, licking the already leaking slit.

“Wait, I have to-” Riki stopped himself. It was such a natural habit to slip on a condom he forgot that they didn’t need to anymore.

Yes! They didn’t need it anymore!

Iason paused not a bit, stretching his mouth wide to take in the tip, feeling the softness against his lips (he was going to get glitter all over it), the heat of Riki’s precum on his tongue, and the shiver as Riki groaned with pleasure. Back home in the privacy of his bathroom, Iason made sure to do jaw exercises just so he could do what he was doing, getting the head of Riki’s cock into his mouth. Without the squeaky texture of a condom, it happened to be much easier than the times before. That easiness swapped with the new difficulty of having to swallow a lot more often; apparently condoms are not conducive to the production of saliva. A bare dick, however, very much was.

“I’m about to come,” Riki warned. It was a bit embarrassing to be brought to completion so quickly, but Iason was slurping around his dick like he was seconds away from biting into it. Not to mention the fact that his mouth reached even further than before. Not to mention the fact Riki’s been horny for hours.

It was when he briefly imagined fucking Iason with dozens of eyes watching that he came, hard, breathless.

“Fuck…” Iason sucked and swallowed. The semen that burst across his tongue was a bit sweet, a rather jarring discovery, and copious. He had to pull back to swallow, but he left his lips to kiss the tip before Riki pushed his head away. Iason watched as Riki calmed down.

Then, in what seemed like a minute, his cock began to rise again.

“Again. Slower.”

With the command, Riki fiddled with the remote. Iason heard the tell-tale sound of the main button switch. He gingerly pressed his mouth to the side of the length before him, making sure that no flesh was in the path of his teeth. It was better to give long licks, better to take it slow.

Riki flicked on just the dildo.

“Haaah,” Iason let out. In the quiet of this bathroom, on the opposite side of the hall and on the third floor, he felt free to make sounds.

“I bet your body’s so damn sensitive.” Leisurely rolling the wheel up and down, he knew that he probably had the same sensitivity.

Iason nodded.

“Bet this feels like someone fucking you.”

Iason nodded again, eyes widening as the waves of vibrations came and went. Filling him up, pulling out, and filling him up. He had to remember it was just really intense shaking. That’s all… That’s… all….

“You’re slacking.”

He was. One hand limping useless around Riki’s dick and his own head down. He went back to work, now truly experiencing the extent of the cock rings as they held him captive. At any other time, he would be close to coming, but he felt all that extreme pleasure trapped behind those rubber bands.

“Good. Good, good. Bet you want to come bad. Ay, don’t get too excited. You’re not coming until tonight.”

Iason stopped. “Really?” he asked, disbelieving.

“Really.”

“I’ll have to wear these rings until tonight?”

Riki shook his head. “You can’t wear them that long.” Lifting his eyebrows, he whispered, “Back to work, pet.”

Working was difficult with the knowledge that he would have to endure substantial pleasure before even getting close to getting off.

Still. It was what Riki wanted. And as… his master, Iason will perform.

Riki grinned. Iason’s face was scrunched with disappointment, but he didn’t let that spread to his ‘work’, jerking him in even strokes with the perfect amount of pressure. Making him a bit worried about not coming helped bring his sensitivity down, made him focus, but then he was stuck making involuntary movements. He would gasp as Riki reached the pinnacle of his limit on the remote. Every time, his blue eyes would close, jaw would twitch so that teeth wouldn’t do the same.

“God. You’re so fucking perfect.”

The blushing was adorable.

“I love how you push yourself.”

Fingertips tickled his stomach; Riki knew Iason didn’t mean to. He was just hiding his face.

“You know, you push me? I thought my arms were going to fall off yesterday. You put more cream on this morning, right?”

Iason answered immediately, “Yes.”

“Hm?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Good. I’ll try not to disappoint you.”

“You could never,” Iason spoke sincerely.

“Then I’m not pushing myself enough.”

“I think there should be only one of us with ridiculous standards in this relationship.” As Riki chuckled, Iason finally felt brave enough to put Riki into his mouth again. The on-off patterned quickened, his mouth stayed open, licking wildly across the tip. He felt his teeth on Riki’s skin every time the dildo’s movement returned.

Riki pretended it wasn’t happening. In fact, he loved Iason’s tight restraint, and how he lost it with just a flick of his finger. His whole mouth just wobbled around his dick.

“Close.”

Iason kept his mouth where it was, tongue working overtime, his hand stroking in much the same spirit. Were the vibrations getting stronger? (They weren’t.)

Riki’s knees bent nearly ninety degrees as his second orgasm hit him, his thumb keeping the vibrations on seven.

Cock painfully jumping in his suit, mouth swallowing what seemed to be just as much cum as before, ass clenching wildly against the constant movement, Iason felt his master’s release in his entire body. He was dizzy by the end of it all.

As Riki tried to catch his breath, Iason, unknowingly, leaned his head on Riki’s hip. A hand went through his hair soon after.

“Oh, damn!”

Iason asked, “What’s the matter?”

“I wanted to record everything!”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're here, you're in some way done. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading, and for all the kudos and for the fantastic reviews, which I live for- I LIVE. I do plan to do more with this universe but at the moment, I've been writing for twelve hours straight- and that was only half of Part Three! If you want some more cathartic smut, please check out my other completed work, Power Exchange, and the one-shots. It's still BDSM. I'm sure somewhere in my future is a story free of power plays. 
> 
> Thank you again! *smooch*


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